Alutiiq Dancers could be heard throughout the museum as they sang and danced for a crowd that filled the new event space. Others walked the new exhibits while listening.
“Since we were so spread apart – our villages – it’s a little bit harder,” said Wek, one of the dancers. “So seeing all the effort that was put into bringing the museum together again, all the dancers together, it’s just been really awesome.”
They split their time living between Kodiak and Ouzinkie, one of the villages on the northern end of the archipelago, home to about 100 people.
Wek said they were happy to see how things have changed since the last time they got to tour.
“The exhibits before were amazing, I loved them, I walked through and (was) just so amazed at everything I saw,” they said. “But now? It’s like an explosion of different kinds of art.”
That was the general sentiment of the grand reopening.
The Alutiiq Museum nearly doubled its exhibit space as part of a $14 million construction project. It used to have 400 objects and art pieces displayed before it closed. Now that construction is complete, almost 700 items are on display with some extra breathing room to take it all in.
Wek felt a wave of excitement as they walked the halls.
“I think it was like five atkuk in there, which is like our clothing, parkas,” they said. “And that was just – it’s so awesome. For a long time, I didn’t even know some of the things that we’ve had in there, but it’s just a whole different world, is what it feels like now.”
The board’s president, Lorena Skonberg, felt the same way.
“It’s amazing because the Alutiiq culture, when I was growing up, we weren’t really sure. It was sort of the beginning of the period of revival,” she said.
There’s a whole section of the museum that honors and celebrates Alutiiq culture and how it’s been passed down.
Skonberg said having their culture honored and displayed like this is huge. There’s a whole section of the museum that shows how Alutiiq culture is still celebrated and passed down.
“And now, it’s like, people know what Alutiiqs are,” Skonberg said. “We’re Alutiiq people, we come from Kodiak Island Archipelago, we identify with our villages.”
Shauna Hegna is wrapping up her time on the board, but was glad to see the grand reopening and her culture celebrated.
“When I grew up in Port Lions, we dreamed of a time when we could see all of our youth dancing and our elders speaking our language,” she said. “And this generation, my children’s generation, are realizing that.”
Hegna said she’s proud of the museum’s role in that work.
“Some would say the day that the doors opened, the museum was already too small,” she said. “We just have so many artifacts and pieces of our living culture to share with the public and the community, and it feels like they finally have a home that’s deserving of the magnitude.”
The reopening is just the start. She said she’s excited to see how the museum continues to help keep Alutiiq culture alive.
“It has been tears of joy tonight. My heart is full, and I feel like my soul is singing,” Hegna said. “This is so incredible – there were hundreds of people who gave their personal time, their personal resources, they volunteer. To be able to celebrate our living culture, not only in Kodiak but with visitors from around the world, that’s incredible.”
The museum is now open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include the correct hours for the Alutiiq Museum.
