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The Real Stories Crystal Drizhuu Frank Gwich'in Athabascan My family, my ancestors, are from the Interior of Alaska. I grew up here my whole life. I'm Gwich'in. The land is the foundation of our culture and language. It is a part of our identity. Without it, we will not have our culture and language. They are connected. The land holds our history and survival. It is the strength of our resilience. Visitors to the Interior should experience the northern lights. They will dance for you in the coldest months if you sing to them. The beauty is so vast, it will touch your soul. Go to a Gwich'in fiddle dance and dance until the early morning, and experience culture, laughter, fun and traditional foods. Joe Williams Tlingit I'm Tlingit, when visiting Southeast Alaska, you will have a chance to experience our culture as it will be all around you. While here, you will experience how deeply we are connected to our land (ha aani). Part of our culture is harvesting from our surroundings with great respect and gratitude. This is celebrated in our home; from deer, mountain goat, brown bear, porcupine, berries and all that abounds us during the summer months. We hand make some of our garments, and our homes were built from red cedar trees that grow in our rainforest. When invited to a potlatch, do not miss it; as it is the celebration of our way of life. Clan stories, singing dancing, gifts to all, this celebration highlights our ties to this great land. Jacqui Lambert Inupiaq In the Northwest Arctic region, every visitor should experience some time on the rivers. Our hub town is Kotzebue, which is a small gravel spit on the coast. Kotzebue is below two major waterways, the Noatak and the Kobuk rivers. These places are very different from the flat landscape visitors will see in Kotzebue. To get to Kotzebue, you'll need to charter a small plane or buy a ticket on a local airline. Our Inupiaq language comes from the land. It's a descriptive language and is mostly focused on what the weather is like, when and where animals come from, the stories about survival out on the land, etc. We also perform traditional songs and dances. These all tell stories about the land, animals and people.