Alaska Film Archives

Children of Eek and their art
Children of Eek and their art
Teacher Paul Forer introduces the school children in Eek to different techniques in drawing pictures.
Gathering together: bilingual curriculum creation at the Lower Kuskokwim School District
Gathering together: bilingual curriculum creation at the Lower Kuskokwim School District
This videotape is labeled "Gathering Together Master 2/11/97." The program was produced by the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) in 1997. It contains chapters on LKSD and its mission, bilingual programs at LKSD, the Yup'ik Language Immersion School, the Summer Institute Home School Link, and Materials Production.
A Man for the '70s
A Man for the '70s
This is a 1968 campaign film about the background and political vision of Mike Gravel prior to his election to the U.S. Senate. Bob Bartlett, Hubert Humphrey, and Ted Kennedy are briefly seen. The film covers the topics of campaign stresses, the development of oil fields in Alaska, and the need to create jobs in Alaska. The film reviews Gravel's childhood in Springfield, Massachusetts, his years in the military, and his family life in Anchorage and Washington D.C. Scenes in Alaska include Alaska Railroad travel, statehood activity in Anchorage and Juneau, a trailer park or mobile home park, building construction, Juneau, Nome ?, union halls, Sitka, and other unidentified scenes.
North of the Arctic Circle: Human Values and the Land
North of the Arctic Circle: Human Values and the Land
AAF-13935 is a program about changes in the communities of Point Hope, Kaktovik, Arctic Village and Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska, due to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Filmed and written by Billie and Sam Wright. Film made possible by the Alaska Humanities Forum and the Tasseraluk Institute of Brooks Range, Alaska., In 1968, Samuel A. and Billie Wright moved to Alaska’s Brooks Range, where they built a cabin they named “Koviashuvik” at the edge of Bob Johnson Lake north of Bettles. That same year, they founded the non-profit Tasseraluk Institute, headquartered in the Brooks Range, for “educational, religious, scientific and literary research and development in social and human values.” The Wrights made films about wilderness life, continued Robert Marshall’s research on northern white spruce migration, published a journal titled “View from the Top of the World,” authored several books, and produced a report and documentary film titled “North of the Arctic Circle: Human Values and the Land.” Both were ordained Unitarian Universalist clergy, and Sam was a minister for congregations throughout the United States, including Anchorage, Alaska, from 1970 to 1974.
Once our way
Once our way
This film includes interviews with people from the community of Tununak, Alaska. It includes scenes featuring subsistence activities, drumming, and dancing.
[Parachute jumps, cargo preparation, training]
[Parachute jumps, cargo preparation, training]
Film contains scenes of parachute jumps as viewed from air at an unknown location, parachute jumps as viewed from air over Fairbanks area, parachute jumps, interior views of the airplane, parachute cargo drops, landing at Ladd Field on Fort Wainwright, a forklift in operation, men bundling boxes of C-rations, PBY Catalina or similar airplane at Fort Wainwright, the parachuting of boxes and barrels, cargo being loaded onto a DC-3 airplane, men performing practice jumps from a tower onto a trampoline, a tower with sign "Exit and Shock Tower," a Boeing 707 commercial airplane flying overhead, parachute jumps as viewed from ground, men jumping into an area of scrubby spruce, a parachutist on the ground unhooking from chute, a man on the ground with a radio, men cutting spruce with chainsaws, men sharpening chainsaw, a Huey helicopter, men hiking into a forest, a sign on a tree that says "Pump Training - Mosquito Alley - Mendido and Prince[?]," a helicopter in a clearing, men at a shelter made from a tarp, Alaska Native men and other men practicing short jumps from a platform, men jumping from a zipline and rolling on the ground, men climbing knotted rope, men on monkey bars and a climbing tower, a man spraying grass and spruce with a water hose, a man with a pack on his pack creating spot burns, men carrying boxes with carrying poles, men with a helicopter and gear, men in a clearing packing gear, a helicopter taking off, a small fire for burning trash, men building shelters, a helicopter landing in a clearing, a parachute caught in a tree, men untangling and packing a chute, a helicopter with a sling full of gear landing in a cleaning, a sign that says "Line Construction - Instructors Tommy Albert and Bob Berry," and men clearing scrub spruce. According to Alaska Smokejumper Chris Swisher in 2014, a portion of this film contains scenes of Paracargo Kicker Training, in which a group of men, all from Stevens Village, Alaska, are practicing emergency aircraft exits. Marty Sharp was in charge of the Paracargo program and training at that time.
Piegans: Lord of the Plains
Piegans: Lord of the Plains
Earl Old Person, tribal chairman, narrates the history of the Blackfoot Indians and demonstrates how tribal elders are working to keep traditional culture alive. The film contains scenes of bison herds, drawings and sculptures, Montana landscapes, traditional dances, healing ceremonies, and other cultural activities. The film is copyright 1971 by University of Alaska and the National Endowment for the Humanities. It was produced by James R. Ludwig (Young Eagle), University of Alaska. It is narrated by James R. Ludwig and Earl Old Person, Chairman of the Blackfeet Tribe and president of the National Congress of American Indians. Sound is by Jack Stonnell. The film includes original recordings of traditional Blackfeet music. The program was filmed, written, and edited by James R. Ludwig, University of Alaska, with production assistants Bill Clark, Barbara Ester, W. Scott Parr, and Jack Stonnell. The film was administered by the University of Alaska and made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Grotto Foundation of St. Paul, Minnesota, and the University of Alaska. The producer acknowledged the assistance of: Bob Barber, National Bison Range, Moiese, Montana; Blackfeet Art Foundation, Browning, Montana; Rice and Omie Crawford, Heart Butte, Montana; Frank Darnell, University of Alaska; Bettye Fahrenkamp, Fairbanks North Star Borough; Alfred George, University of Alaska; Ramon Gonyea, Museum of the Plains Indian; Bill Haw, East Glacier Park, Montana; A.A. Heckman, Grotto Foundation, St. Paul, Minnesota; Richard Hedrich, National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, D.C.; Louis W. Hill, Jr., St. Paul, Minnesota; Charles Keim, University of Alaska; Lester and Ruth Johnson, St. Mary, Montana; Linda J. Ludwig, Rochester, New York; Albert Racine St. Mary, Montana; Lynn Triplett, Browning, Montana; and Jane Williams, University of Alaska. The producer dedicated this film to the Blackfeet elders, including Louis and Maggie Plenty Treaty (Bear Child).
Russian Power Progress
Russian Power Progress
A group of American senators travel to the Soviet Union to visit new hydroelectric facilities. They conclude that the Soviet Union will pass the United States in industrial output. According to the film, the only way to prevent this development is for the United States to commit to large scale hydroelectric projects such as the proposed Rampart Dam.
[Senator Gruening presents a Carl Hayden tribute]
[Senator Gruening presents a Carl Hayden tribute]
U.S. Senator Ernest Gruening introduces a program about Senator Carl Hayden's role in helping pass the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and a special award presented to him by the League of Women Voters.
[The Winter Bear Project promo and documentary]
[The Winter Bear Project promo and documentary]
This is a documentary about The Winter Bear Project i. It includes scenes from a play, associated workshops, and interviews with Brian Wescott, Jessica McGinty, Jeremy Raychel, Anne Hanley, Brittany Smith, Yvonne Wright Adams, Paul Mountain, Debra Naaqtuuq Dommek, Martha Demoski, Clara Peters, and Sidney C. Huntington, with narration by Therisa Bennett. The Winter Bear Project addresses the issue of suicide among young Alaska Natives and attempts to curb the growing trend. The related promo explains The Winter Bear Project and features interviews with Brian Wescott, Jessica McGinty, Paul Mountain, and Martha Demoski. The Winter Bear is a play that tells the story of an Alaska Native teenager who rises above his past traumas to become a leader with the help of mentor Sidney Huntington. The Winter Bear Project combines the play with outreach developed in cooperation with rural Alaskan communities. In September 2014, The Winter Bear Project traveled to six Alaskan villages along the Yukon and Koyukuk Rivers to deliver their message. In the documentary, residents from Ruby, Nulato, and Kaltag share their thoughts on the play’s impact.