Oral History Dept. - Project Jukebox

We're proud to announce the completion of the Homer Communities of Memory Jukebox Project, available online at http://jukebox.uaf.edu/comhomer. This project celebrates the community and the history of Homer as seen through the eyes of those present during a series of storytelling sessions held at Land’s End Resort in April 1996. Themes include: coming to Homer, making a living, homesteading, commercial fishing, dealing with the natural environment, tourism, the meeting of cultures, changes in Homer, and appreciation of what makes Homer special. This Project Jukebox preserves and makes accessible to the public a valuable record of Alaskan history and the experiences of people whose stories often are not heard outside of their own community. The testimonies in this project highlight a love for Homer, and provide a living link to the nature of life in the lower Kenai Peninsula sixteen years ago. This project is supported in part by a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency.

Project Jukebox | Digital Branch of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program The Alaska Communities of Memory Project was a statewide effort from 1994-1996 funded by the Alaska Humanities Forum to provide an opportunity for people in communities around Alaska to share memories of their community and to reflect on what made their community special. These gatherings were held ...

As of September 30, 2012 our newest project, "Judges of Alaska Project Jukebox" will be live at www.jukebox.uaf.edu/judges. This website tells the story of the formation of the Alaska Court System through first-hand accounts of what it means to be a judge or magistrate in Alaska.

Karen Brewster, Research Associate in the Oral History Program at the Rasmuson Library, UAF, published "Boots, Bikes and Bombers - Adventures of Alaska Conservationist Ginny Hill Wood" (University of Alaska Press). This book documents the life history of Ginny Hill Wood through oral history recordings. Ginny Hill Wood was a pioneering Alaska conservationist and outdoorswoman who served as a Women's Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) in World War II, co-founded Camp Denali, Alaska's first wilderness ecotourism lodge, helped start the Alaska Conservation Society, the state's first environmental organization; and applied her love of the outdoors to her work as a backcountry guide and an advocate for trail construction and preservation.
http://www.alaska.edu/uapress/browse/detail/index.xml

William Schneider, Professor Emeritus and the previous Curator of Oral History for the University of Alaska Fairbanks, recently published "On Time Delivery - The Dog Team Mail Carriers" (University of Alaska Press) which is based on his research using oral history recordings to document the life of the dog team mail carrier before the advent of airplanes. With the advent and widespread adoption of aviation, many of the trails were abandonded, and a generation of rural Alaskans has now grown up with few ties to the overland trail system that supported their grandparents and inspired modern traditions such as the world-famous Iditarod Race. http://www.alaska.edu/uapress/browse/detail/index.xml?id=451

Interesting site I came upon today - Norther Anthropology of the Circumpolar Regions.

Arctic anthropology Updates and News from Northern Anthropology of Circumpolar Regions

WGBH American Experience | PBS . Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World The 300-year saga of the American whaling industry.

Wiseman, Alaska residents in the office today working on a repatriation project sponsored by National Park Service!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/american-anthropological-association/cultural-anthropology_b_1373668.html

Why the Cultural Conversation Should Never Stop My understandings of relationship and research changed substantially after the earthquake struck in Haiti. How did this event two years ago change me and the ways I approach my work? The list is long.

http://www.polarfield.com/blog/documenting-dangerous-ice/

Study Sheds Light on Dangerous Ice Conditions Confronting Rural Alaskan Commuters An interdisciplinary team is studying winter dangerous ice conditions on Alaskan byways. Information will give rural Alaskans tools to improve public safety.

Group portrait in Juneau, 1891. :: Alaska State Library-Historical Collections

Clarence Alexander honored by President Obama!

Fort Yukon elder to receive Presidential Citizens Medal - FAIRBANKS — A Fort Yukon man is one of 13. Fort Yukon elder to receive Presidential Citizens Medal - FAIRBANKS — A Fort Yukon man is one of 13 Americans who will receive the second-highest civilian honor from President Obama next week. Clarence Alexander 72 is a co-founder of the Yukon Ri...

The Project Jukebox website features oral histories, historic film clips, and still photographs to highlight various aspects of dog mushing in Alaska. Topics include: dog racing, dog breeding, village use of dogs, traveling and camping with dogs, dog teams and tourism, dog team mail carriers, old trails, and building sleds.

http://jukebox.uaf.edu/akmushing