Don’t let Alaska and Northern Canada fool you.  Although it is North America, many aspects of life and culture are very different from the Lower 48 and more southern Canada. 

Life in the far North moves at a slow pace.  Many people live off the land; hunting, fishing, cutting wood and picking berries.  Outside of the few larger cities, village communities are close-knit and usually consist of 40-200 people.  Even time seems to move slowly—if a meeting starts at 11, people will just be leaving their homes or getting up at 11.  It’s not laziness or apathy; it’s just the pace of life.

When making a request Northern people ask indirectly, beating around the bush and trusting the hearer to understand what they need.  For example, if someone needed to borrow something from you, they would not ask for it directly.  Instead they may comment on its quality.  Then they may say that they don’t have one of those themselves but could really use one.  Non-verbal communication is also different—instead of a nod or headshake for yes or no, Native people may simply raise their eyebrows. 

Northern people place high value on relationships and family.  They have great respect for their elders as well as their traditions and heritage.  Eskimo, Indian and Aleut are three general categories for more than twenty distinct language and culture groups. In Alaska these are known as Native peoples and in Canada they are referred to as First Nation people.