Women of Alaska

"Here's to strong women: may we know them, may we be them, may we raise them." - Unattributed

Women have played a significant role in shaping Alaska into the state it is today. Women of Alaska recognizes and celebrates their achievements and contributions to the economic, academic, social, cultural, and political fields within our communities.

This exhibit is curated from the collections of the Alaska State Archives and Alaska State Library Historical Collections and contains a sampling of the many women who have not only survived, but thrived in times of hardship and discrimination, paving the way for future generations. We invite you to explore the stories of these women and reflect on their accomplishments, as well as those of the women in your own life. While there have been many firsts, it is up to us all to uphold the rights of justice and equality for all generations to come.

Many of the captions for the photographs used in this exhibit have been provided either by donors or the photographers, and are taken directly from collection materials such as notes or words written directly on the photographs. Sometimes no original captions exist and are instead provided by the staff who process (arrange, describe, and make available) collections after they have been donated. As you move through the exhibit, notice these captions will appear in [brackets] while original captioning will not include brackets.

From the tundra to the slime lines, underwater or soaring about the mountains, women of Alaska have pushed boundaries and contributed to a variety of industries from the most remote villages to the largest cities.

Many of these women were firsts in their fields, not because they wanted to be the first, but because they followed their passions and did not stop when they were told it was not their place. Beginning in the late 1800s, Changunak Antisarlook Andrewuk (Sinrock Mary) helped grow the largest reindeer herd at that time in Alaska. When her husband passed away in 1900 she successfully fought the legal system to keep the herd. Not only a skilled herder and savvy businesswoman, Mary took in orphans from her village and provided jobs in her community. Upon her death in 1948, newspapers across the country mourned the passing of the "Queen of Reindeer".

Education is integral to ensuring that future generations of Alaskans shape worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, promote cultural identity and cross-cultural understanding, and improve the character and quality of the world around them.

Educators come in many forms. Whether as family members, community leaders, or classroom teachers, women such as Katie John, who helped create the first written alphabet for the preservation and instruction of the Ahtna language, have played an important role in the education of Alaska's youth.

In 1878, the fist American boarding school in Alaska was established in Sitka by Presbyterian missionaries, and in the decades that followed boarding schools opened across Alaska.

Most of the programs separated children from their families and communities in order to immerse them in Euro-American culture. Students were not permitted to speak their native languages, were dressed in Euro-American styled clothing, and many were subjected to physical and psychological abuse.

Many students were placed under custody of the boarding schools without the consent or knowledge of their parents. Undeterred by prior rulings in the schools' favor, families braved the court justice system to regain custody of their children.

The court case Con-ah-Couqua vs. John Kelly and A.E. Austin (1886) documents a mother's attempt to free her child from the Presbyterian Boarding School in Sitka.

For more primary sources from the Alaska State Archives on boarding schools visit the  "Boarding Schools in Alaska"  history topic web page.

Activism, whether performed individually on a day-to-day basis or as a collective action, is crucial to righting injustices and enacting reform.

Women throughout history have fought to make Alaska a better place for all through social and political justice, and the preservation of Alaska's resources and traditional knowledge and cultures. In courtrooms, picket lines, and their own communities and households women have made a difference by standing up for their beliefs and challenging the status quo.

In 1913, the first Alaska Territorial Legislature passed House Bill No. 2, An Act to Extend the Elective Franchise to Women in the Territory of Alaska. Women had won the vote. However House Bill No. 2 only applied to white women in the territory and it wasn't until much later that all citizens were given equal rights when in 1970 the English literacy requirement for voting was repealed in Alaska.

House Bill 14, known as the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, was the first anti-discrimination law in Alaskan history. Approved on February 16, 1945 by the Alaska Territorial Legislature, the law made it illegal to discriminate based on race. This legislation was initially proposed by the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS), and was championed by ANB and ANS Grand Presidents Roy and Elizabeth Peratrovich. In 1945, Elizabeth Peratrovich delivered an influential speech to the Alaska Legislature which has been credited as a pivotal moment in the bill's passage. In 1988, the Alaska Legislature established February 16 as Elizabeth Peratrovich Day to honor her contributions "for her courageous, unceasing efforts to eliminate discrimination and bring about equal rights in Alaska" (Alaska Statutes 44.12.065).

Local women's societies such as the Alaska Daughters paved the way for the formation of the Alaska Native Sisterhood in 1914. With the mission of fighting for civil and land rights for all Native people, as well as sharing Native cultural knowledge, wisdom, and artistic beauty, the Alaska Native Sisterhood and Alaska Native Brotherhood are two of the most influential and important civil rights organizations in Alaska.

The Sisterhood has been instrumental in ensuring basic rights and equality for all Alaska Natives in housing, employment, education, and health and social services.

Women such as Ginny Wood Hill and Celia Hunter, who together founded the Alaska Conservation Society and worked to ensure the passage of legislation that created the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), have worked tirelessly to ensure that the beauty of Alaska remains unspoiled for generations to come. Equally important are those who every day honor the tradition of a subsistence lifestyle, consciously living with respect for and appreciation of the natural resources around them, serving as responsible stewards of the land by sustainably hunting, fishing, and foraging as their ancestors have for millenia.

Women of Alaska have supported the ongoing health and enduring strength of communities across the state. From the establishment of the League of Women Voters Alaska to participation in sporting events and competitions, women have been a force in driving growth and diversity in their communities. In 1985, Libby Riddles became the first woman to win the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and has inspired women of all backgrounds to pursue the sport of dog sledding. Invaluable in the preservation of traditional knowledge and cultures, the revival of Native languages, and champions for the arts and humanities, women have advocated for the values and sustainable practices that enrich the fabric of our society.

For generations women have participated in civics. Through politics and governance, law enforcement and the military, and as doctors and nurses in the field, women have stepped up and served when called upon.

While World War I raged on the Western Front, the Tlinget women of Yakutat organized into their own Red Cross chapter, determined to aid the war effort despite rampant discrimination on the home front. When the Constitutional Convention Committee met, five women sat on the committee to bring Alaska into statehood. Bettye Davis, longtime Anchorage school board member and the first African American to be elected to the State Senate, dedicated her life to improving the lives of her constituents, advocating for school funding and aiding in the reestablishment of the Alaska Commission on the Status of Women. In 2002, the first woman in Alaska was appointed to the United States Senate, and in 2006 Alaska saw its first female governor.

Countless women have sat on councils, and they continue to participate in the important decisions of their communities, protect and serve their interests, and ensure prosperity for future Alaskans.

As a community off the road system, we know many of you are unable to visit the Andrew P. Kashevaroff building in person to see our new exhibit. That's why we wanted to make sure we could bring it to you here as a digital exhibit. However we'd like to give you the opportunity to view the original exhibit as it is in its physical form: eleven banners. We've uploaded the images of the full banners to this page:  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fac24276bb044acebc761111bb229c1e 

Please note the banner images are proofs and are missing some information, if you are able please take a minute to stop by our building at 395 Whittier Street to see the final product!

If you're interested in learning more about the women who have shaped Alaska check out a few of the following resources available through the Alaska State Library:

•  Boots, bikes, and bombers : adventures of Alaska conservationist Ginny Hill Wood  by Ginny Wood
•  Alaska women in the Iditarod  by Peg Stout
•  Storm Run : the story of the first woman to win the Iditarod Sled Dog Race  by Libby Riddles
•  Wildcat women: narratives of the women breaking ground in Alaska's oil and gas industry  by Carla Williams
•  Women pilots of Alaska: 37 interviews and profiles  by Sandi Sumner
•  The entangling net: Alaska's commercial fishing women tell their lives  by Leslie Leyland Fields
•  Two old women: an Alaska legend of betrayal, courage, and survival  by Velma Wallis
•  In sisterhood: the history of Camp 2 of the Alaska Native Sisterhood  edited by Kimberly L. Metcalfe
•  Two women in the Klondike; the story of a journey to the gold-fields  of Alaska by Mary E. Hitchcock
•  More than petticoats. Remarkable Alaska women  by Cherry Lyon Jones
•  Women who braved the far North : 200 years of Alaskan women  by H. Wendy Jones
•  The Women of Alaska: a compilation of interviews  produced by the Anchorage School District
•  Alaska women's history resource booklet  by Libby Roderick
•  Alaska women write: living, laughing, and loving on the Last Frontier  edited by Dana Stabenow
•  Profiles in change: names, notes and quotes for Alaskan women  by Ginna Brelsford
• For primary sources on Alaska's women visit the  State Library Historical Collections catalog  or the  Alaska State Archives catalog .