1. Browse Repository
  2. Alaska Film Archives

Alaska Film Archives

About the Collection

Over the past half century, the University of Alaska Fairbanks has built the largest collection of archival films in and about Alaska. The collection combines hundreds of donations of film and videos to UAF by individuals, organizations and institutions. Materials range from professional productions to amateur home-movies, made in and about Alaska from the earliest days of filmmaking through today. Since 1993 these materials have been held by the Alaska Film Archives, a unit of Alaska and Polar Regions Collections & Archives in the Elmer E. Rasmuson Library. Films and videos selected for this portal project are a sampling of the thousands available for checkout on DVD through the Rasmuson Library. Unless otherwise noted, items are presented here in their entirety, unedited and uncut. Short, popular clips from the collection can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Read more about the Alaska Film Archives.

1 to 30 of 984 Objects
Legends of the Tanana
Legends of the Tanana
This video shows the traditional passing of legends from one generation to the next. Two Athabascan chiefs, Henry from Huslia and Andrew Isaac from Dot Lake, tell stories to members of their villages. The film discusses legends not as history but as a cultural heritage showing values and customs. These exemplify closeness to nature and the land.
[Fort Yukon, Hudson Stuck Hospital]
[Fort Yukon, Hudson Stuck Hospital]
This film contains footage taken while flying over a town in an airplane. This is followed by footage of a large wooden building with a flag pole in front, which appears to be the Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital; a sign for the Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital; nurses in white uniforms and children standing in front of the hospital; nurses walking past a farm and speaking with men working on the farm; a man driving a red tractor; people and nurses talking to the man on the red tractor; a group of nurses conversing; nurses talking to a uniformed officer of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police; a small boy and a hound dog; and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer talking with a well dressed man and woman in front of the hospital.
North Slope: Sen. Vic Fischer interview
North Slope: Sen. Vic Fischer interview
This footage contains a continuation of the Fischer interview on the NSB. The original videotape is labeled, "Sen. Vic Fischer 2, North Slope Borough 37."
North Slope: Brower interview #1
North Slope: Brower interview #1
This footage features an interview with Eugene Brower, mayor of the North Slope Borough, on the history and leaders of the NSB, Americanization of the Arctic, community development needs, self-determination, relations with the federal government, and other topics.
North Slope: Brower interview #4 [# 2]
North Slope: Brower interview #4 [# 2]
This footage features an interview with Eugene Brower, mayor of the North Slope Borough.
North Slope: Brower interview #4; Barrow [Utqiagvik] students
North Slope: Brower interview #4; Barrow [Utqiagvik] students
This footage features an interview with Eugene Brower, mayor of the North Slope Borough. Scenes from the Barrow school include a girl reading, a mural, young students, a woman teaching the children, a woman teaching a high school math class, students with calculators, high school students sitting in class, high school students at their lockers, a busy school hallway, the school cafeteria during lunch, and the faces of students in line to get food.
North Slope: Brower interview #3
North Slope: Brower interview #3
This footage features an interview with Eugene Brower, mayor of the North Slope Borough.
North Slope: Eskimo dancing in Barrow [Utqiagvik] high school
North Slope: Eskimo dancing in Barrow [Utqiagvik] high school
This footage features Inupiat dancing in the Eben Hobson High School gymnasium. Scenes include Alaska Natives drumming, a conductor, the audience, a line of young girls dancing, young boys dancing, a woman with a child on her lap, faces in the audience, Inupiat audience members, and singers.
St. Paul: Larry Merculieff interview #2
St. Paul: Larry Merculieff interview #2
This footage contains a continuation of the interview with Larry Merculief, president of Tanadgusix Corporation.
St. Paul: Gabe Stepetin interview
St. Paul: Gabe Stepetin interview
This footage features an interview with Gabe Stepetin of St. Paul.
St. Paul: Ted Stevens interview
St. Paul: Ted Stevens interview
This footage features an interview with U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. Scenes also feature a painting.
St. Paul: Reeve plane
St. Paul: Reeve plane
This footage includes part of an interview with Gabe Stepetin of St. Paul, a Reeve airplane landing and taxing, and airplane passengers. Scenes also features a boat being loaded onto a truck and a plane taking off.
St. Paul: Father Michael Lestenkof and Gabe Stepetin interview
St. Paul: Father Michael Lestenkof and Gabe Stepetin interview
This footage features interviews with Gabe Stepetin, resident of St. Paul Island, and Father Michael Lestenkof, a priest on St. Paul Island.
St. Paul: Larry Merculieff interview #1
St. Paul: Larry Merculieff interview #1
This footage features an interview with Larry Merculief, president of the Tanadgusix Corporation.
Subsistence: Thecla Hootch interview
Subsistence: Thecla Hootch interview
This footage features an interview with Thecla Hootch.
Subsistence: Thecla Hootch interview
Subsistence: Thecla Hootch interview
This footage features an interview with Thecla Hootch.
Subsistence: Walter Charley Interview #4
Subsistence: Walter Charley Interview #4
This footage includes an interview with Walter Charley of the Copper River/Lake Louise area. Scenes include Walter looking for caribou, walking through brush, and looking through binoculars.
Subsistence: Walter Charley interview #3
Subsistence: Walter Charley interview #3
This footage includes an interview with Walter Charley of the Copper River/Lake Louise area around a campfire. Scenes include a shoreline with ducks; a radio; boats and ducks; chimney smoke; and Walter standing in the forest, walking through brush, eating berries, sighting his rifle, cleaning his rifle scope, and looking through his binoculars. Scenes also feature a young man.
Subsistence: Walter Charley Interview #2
Subsistence: Walter Charley Interview #2
This footage includes an interview with Walter Charley of the Copper River/Lake Louise area around a campfire. Scenes include Walter looking through binoculars, a float plane, a rainbow, a small boat in the water, ducks, and a campfire.
Rural education: Hoonah: computer terminal
Rural education: Hoonah: computer terminal
This footage was recorded in Hoonah. Scenes include aerial views, the Hoonah School office and computer, a teacher, and a teenager working at the computer terminal.
Rural education: Hoonah elders
Rural education: Hoonah elders
This footage includes an interview with Hoonah women elders about child rearing and education.
Outer Continental Shelf: elders 2 ; Barrow [Utqiagvik] visuals
Outer Continental Shelf: elders 2 ; Barrow [Utqiagvik] visuals
This footage includes an interview with elders. Footage also includes views of Utqiagvik, a NSB building, an ASRC building, houses, Inupiat women, boats, and a laundry line.
Outer Continental Shelf : Hopson, tape 2 ; Elders, tape 1
Outer Continental Shelf : Hopson, tape 2 ; Elders, tape 1
This footage includes an interview with Eben Hopson of Barrow, mayor of the North Slope Borough. He mentions Ted Stevens.
Outer Continental Shelf : Eben Hopson, tape 1
Outer Continental Shelf : Eben Hopson, tape 1
This footage features an interview with Eben Hopson of Barrow, mayor of the North Slope Borough.
Outer Continental Shelf : Archie Brower
Outer Continental Shelf : Archie Brower
This footage features an interview with Archie Brower of Barrow, who was president of the Kaktovik Inupiat Corporation, on the impact of oil spills on sea mammals and sea birds.
[Grafton Burke collection - film 1]
[Grafton Burke collection - film 1]
Motion picture films in this collection were made by Grafton Burke in and outside Alaska circa the early 1930s. Grafton and Clara Burke oversaw St. Stephen's Mission and hospital - later Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital - at Fort Yukon, Alaska for three decades until Dr. Burke died in 1938. AAF-23401 is labeled, "Burkes Trip in 1932."
[Grafton Burke collection - film 2]
[Grafton Burke collection - film 2]
Motion picture films in this collection were made by Grafton Burke in and outside Alaska circa the early 1930s. Grafton and Clara Burke oversaw St. Stephen's Mission and hospital - later Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital - at Fort Yukon, Alaska for three decades until Dr. Burke died in 1938. AAF-23402 is labeled, "...Trip 1930..."
[Grafton Burke collection - film 3]
[Grafton Burke collection - film 3]
Motion picture films in this collection were made by Grafton Burke in and outside Alaska circa the early 1930s. Grafton and Clara Burke oversaw St. Stephen's Mission and hospital - later Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital - at Fort Yukon, Alaska for three decades until Dr. Burke died in 1938. AAF-23403 is labeled, "Burke in France."
[Grafton Burke collection - film 4]
[Grafton Burke collection - film 4]
Motion picture films in this collection were made by Grafton Burke in and outside Alaska circa the early 1930s. Grafton and Clara Burke oversaw St. Stephen's Mission and hospital - later Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital - at Fort Yukon, Alaska for three decades until Dr. Burke died in 1938. AAF-23404 is labeled, "Burke's Yukon R. Shots – Mission."
[Grafton Burke collection - film 5]
[Grafton Burke collection - film 5]
Motion picture films in this collection were made by Grafton Burke in and outside Alaska circa the early 1930s. Grafton and Clara Burke oversaw St. Stephen's Mission and hospital - later Hudson Stuck Memorial Hospital - at Fort Yukon, Alaska for three decades until Dr. Burke died in 1938. AAF-23405 is labeled, "Burke - London - On board the boat."