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Inupiat Heritage CenterImage of the Hopson 1 whaling crew waiting patiently at the open lead for a bowhead whale, May 2002. Photo provided by Luciana Whitaker.
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The Rooftop of the World

On the rooftop of the world, the Iñupiat Heritage Center in Barrow, Alaska tells the story of the Iñupiat people. They thrived for thousands of years in one of the harshest climates on Earth, hunting the bowhead whale whom they call "Agviq." In the 19th century, these lonely seas swarmed with commercial whalemen from New England, who also sought the bowhead for its valuable baleen and blubber.
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Image of the interior of the Inupiat Heritage Center

Inupiat Heritage Center

The Iñupiat Heritage Center was designed to serve as an inspirational facility to promote and protect Iñupiaq culture, history, and language through exhibits, classes, performances, and educational activities.
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Chase of the Bowhead Whale by Clifford W. Ashley, 1909. Oil on Canvas.

Chase of the Bowhead Whale

The first of the Western Arctic whalers, the Inupiat Eskimos, have hunted Bowhead whales for thousands of years along the coastline of Alaska. Portraits of Ports is a flash presentation created by the New Bedford Whaling Museum.
 
 
 

Write to

Inupiat Heritage Center
P.O.Box 69
Barrow, AK 99723

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Phone

Visitor Information
(907) 852-0422

Climate

Located on the Arctic Ocean, Barrow is cool to cold all year. Summer can bring fog, wind and rain and temperatures range from highs around 70 to lows into the 30s. Winter temperatures are normally below zero, often dropping to minus 30 and lower. Wind often exacerbates the cold temperatures. Visitors should bring raincoats and sweaters or light jackets in the summer and warm boots, mitts, and heavy parkas with hoods in the winter.
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Hornet's Nest  

Did You Know?
The Confederate army captured more than 2,200 Federal defenders of the Hornet's Nest at Shiloh. The prisoners spent six months in various Confederate prison camps before being exchanged for Confederate prisoners in the fall of 1862.

Last Updated: July 19, 2007 at 21:00 EST