Proud to Be Alaskan

Alaskans are proud to be Alaskan. You can see it in the clothes they wear--T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats decorated with Alaskana. You can hear it in the enthusiastic way they talk about their state. Sometimes it's hard to hush them up! They're proud to be bigger than Texas. They're proud to have more mountains, rivers, glaciers, and volcanoes than anywhere else in the US. Most of all, they're proud to be different.

A downtown businessman in a three-piece suit depends on his yearly moose hunt for the winter's meat. In a tiny building on a barren Arctic plain, schoolchildren work on state-of-the-art computers. A bushy-bearded mountain man in denim and flannel has a doctorate from Harvard. A satellite dish sits atop a hand-built log cabin. And moose graze on city landscaping and stroll nonchalantly down the center of busy highways. In Alaska, you just never know what to expect!

Alaska State Flag, Symbols and Song

The Flag
In 1926 the territory of Alaska announced a contest for students in grades 7 through 12. The young people were asked to submit designs for a flag. The winning design would become the official flag of the territory, and later, of the state.
Bennie Benson, 13 years old, submitted the winning design. Bennie, of Aleut-Russian-Swedish descent, lived in the village of Chignik. He described his design this way:
"The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly of the Union. [Alaska became the 49th state 33 years later, in 1959.] The dipper is for the Great Bear--symbolizing strength."
[derived from "More Facts About Alaska," Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, p. 175.]

Alaska State Symbols
How many states do you know of that have a state fossil? In Alaska, it's the wooly mammoth. You can find jewelry made from fossil ivory in Alaska shops, alongside jewelry made of jade, the state gem, and gold, the state mineral. The tiny, fragrant forget-me-not is the state flower for this big, rugged state. And Alaska has a state fish, state bird, state land mammal, and state marine mammal among other things! They are, respectively, king salmon, willow ptarmigan, moose, and bowhead whale. Click here for more on Alaska state symbols.

The Song
"Alaska's Flag," the state song, first appeared in 1925 in the form of a poem written by Marie Drake. Which came first, the flag or the song? I don't know, but the words of the song describe the flag designed by Bennie Benson.

Eight stars of gold on a field of blue,
Alaska's Flag, may it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes and the flow'rs nearby,

The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams,
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The Bear, the Dipper, and shining high,

The great North Star with its steady light.
O'er land and sea a beacon bright,
Alaska's Flag to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.

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How To Speak Alaskan

Sure, they speak English in Alaska ... but certain words and phrases have a meaning unique to the region!

Moose nuggets--No, this is not a fast food item available at Alaska McDonald’s. It is the Alaska term for moose droppings, which are gathered, lacquered, and made into jewelry and other souvenir items. Really.

Sourdough--A real Alaskan, someone who has been in the state through four full seasons of the year.

Big Blue Canoe--Any one of the ferries of the Alaska Marine Highway system, an essential mode of transportation in Southeast Alaska.

Bunny boots--Insulated boots designed for temperatures well below zero Fahrenheit. NOT the same as Sorels®--a popular winter boot with more beauty but less warmth.

Alaska Native--This term does not apply to just anyone born in Alaska. It refers specifically to a member of one of Alaska’s three major native people groups--Eskimos, Alaskan Indians, and Aleuts. Click here for more on Alaska Natives.

Break-up--This refers not to the ending of a romantic relationship, but to early spring when the ice on lakes and rivers begins to break up.

Termination dust--The first snow of the year, dusting the mountains in early fall and heralding the termination of summer.

Cache--Pronounced like “cash,” but referring to a storage place. Almost synonymous with the noun “stash” and, like “stash,” can also be used as a verb. So in Alaska, you can cache your cash in your cache.

Cheechako--A greenhorn, someone who has been in Alaska less than 12 consecutive months.

The Lower 48--This term applies specifically to the lower 48 states of the USA--not including Hawaii.

Outside--This term applies to anywhere other than the Far North. For example, “You going Outside this winter?”

Serviette--In the Yukon and British Columbia (as well as elsewhere in Canada), a table napkin.

Washroom--In the Yukon and British Columbia (as well as elsewhere in Canada), a restroom.

Eskimo ice cream--A traditional delicacy, also called akutaq. The basic ingredients are crushed berries, animal oil, and dried animal fat. Other ingredients are added as available. Click here for a recipe for Eskimo ice cream.

Bushed--In Alaska this doesn’t mean tired. It means you have been in “the bush,” or wilderness, too long, and you are beginning to lose it.

Cabin fever--Similar to “bushed.” Cabin fever sets in during winter when one has been cooped up too long.

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They Were Here First
Alaska’s Native People

Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts--they learned how to live in “the Great Land” long before the first Europeans found their way to the Far North. Twenty distinct language and culture groups exist under the umbrella of these three general categories. But Alaska Natives share many common characteristics. Their histories and cultural values have been preserved primarily through oral tradition and communicated through the means of story, song, and dance. Today as in the past, Alaska Native lifestyle depends largely on subsistence, or living off what the land provides.

Alaska Native cultures share a strong sense of community and respect for elders, and in many ways they share a history. Native languages and cultures began to wane after the arrival of Europeans. Early missionaries sometimes took Native children away from their homes and put them into boarding schools, where they were forbidden to speak their native languages and were sometimes punished when they did. Traditional dances and ceremonies, and even the making of totem poles, were also discouraged or forbidden. Today, Alaskan Natives are rediscovering and celebrating their ancient heritage.

Click Here for details on Alaska's Native People

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