As we begin the second decade of the 21st century, the urban centers of Alaska have become similar to those in the lower 48 states. A city dweller visiting Anchorage is in familiar surroundings. But away from the major urban centers of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau — away from the paved roads and shopping malls — another world emerges. Here live the Aleut, Yupik, Inupiaq and Alutiiq (Eskimo), the Athabaskan, Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimsian — the true Natives of our Great Land. Here the English language yields in varying degrees to Native languages.
