We care for over 180,000 artifacts from archaeological surveys and excavations, their accompanying assemblages of animal remains, plant remains, and sediments samples, and related field notes, photographs, and videos.

The majority of our archaeological collections come from the Kodiak Archipelago. These assemblages reflect the complete span of Alutiiq history–from Kodiak’s colonization 7,500 years ago to the American era. Most are from scientifically conducted studies, including many led by the Alutiiq Museum.

Our archival collections include both original documents and copies of archival documents from other sources.  Among them are the papers of Alutiiq leaders, original field notes and maps from archaeological research, transcripts of interviews with Alutiiq culture bearers, stories told by Elders, school documents, and more.  Additional archival collections can be found in our library materials.

The museum collects film and audio recordings.  These collections include videotape, digital video, audiotape, compact discs, and other recordings. They document the Alutiiq language, events in the Alutiiq community, archaeological excavations, oral histories, interviews, museum programs, and media presentations on heritage projects. Some recordings in this collection are accompanied by written transcripts. Additional recordings, whose copyright is not owned by the museum, can be found in our library.

Contemporary works of art help to connect the ancestral traditions of the Alutiiq people with contemporary life.  They illustrate how traditions continue and reflect Alutiiq experiences in the twenty-first century. They are examples of our living culture.

The Alutiiq Museum’s contemporary art collection is growing, thanks to the availability of grants from the Alaska Art Fund.   Learn how to propose a piece to the museum at the link below.

The museum’s ethnographic collections include objects manufactured in the historic period, objects collected from living persons, and contemporary crafts and works of art. Recent and contemporary objects help to tell the continuing story of the Alutiiq people.  They illustrate how Alutiiq traditions continue and how they have changed. 

You can browse objects of Alutiiq manufacture in our Amutat database, or see examples of contemporary art in our online art gallery.

The Alutiiq Museum cares for thousands of photographs. These collections include slides, prints, negatives, and digital images illustrating the Alutiiq people, cultural activities, communities, heritage programs, archaeological excavations, and the Kodiak environment. Additional images, for which the museum does not hold copyright, are part of our library collections.

The museum maintains a small collection of geological samples, plant and animal specimens, and fossils from the Alutiiq world. These materials support exhibits, educational programs, and research. They illustrate the environment in which Alutiiq people live and provide comparisons for archaeological finds.