UAF Photo by Suzi Tanski Members of the Iñu-Yupiaq Dance Group pose in the Wood Center after their workshop during the 2023 Indigenous Peoples Day, a community event hosted by the College of Indigenous Studies. From left are Alliyah Nay, Naatanii Mayo, Cavelila Wonhola and Sonni Shavings.
Anchorage, AK — Ping Chong and Company (PCC) and the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) announced the national launch of Passages Alaska, an arts-infused high school social studies curriculum. Passages Alaska stems from PCC’s 2017 interdisciplinary production ALAXSXA | ALASKA, a multimedia theater piece created by PCC’s Ryan Conarro, Gary Upaayuilnguq Beaver and Justin Perkins. The show highlights lesser-known, cross-cultural events in Alaska’s shifting landscapes through three perspectives: Alaska Native, outsider/settler perspective and a “historical” lens often seen in Westernized narratives of the state.
Alaska educators who saw the 2018 tour of ALAXSXA | ALASKA recognized its potential to deepen students’ understanding of Alaska’s histories and cultures through critical and Indigenous perspectives. In response to their call for educational materials, PCC developed a nine-week course for ninth graders, initiated by the Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD), and supported by the Alaska State Council on the Arts and the New England Foundation for the Arts. The curriculum development team included cast member Ryan Conarro, Bunnell Street Arts Center director and Kenai Peninsula College art instructor Asia Freeman, 2023 Culture Bearer Award winner Nita Yurrliq Rearden and Alaska social studies expert Jen Tungatuq Romer.
The curriculum, aligned with Alaska history, arts and cultural standards, takes a holistic, arts-integrated approach, encouraging students to engage with cultural and historical content by artistically expressing their own personal, familial and community stories. This approach uplifts the lived experiences of students’ communities, many of which are predominantly Alaska Native, as a vital part of Alaska’s ongoing history.
After piloting the Passages Alaska course in LKSD schools, PCC and UAA partnered to make the curriculum accessible to teachers statewide and nationally. UAA and PCC are also collaborating on professional development for educators, expanding the curriculum to represent Alaska’s 20 Native cultures and developing an elementary version for third grade. Teachers can download Passages Alaska for free through the UAA/APU Consortium Library.
