Simon Paneak Memorial Museum

NUNAMIUT, The Inland Eskimo Way of Life. Enjoy a Brooks Range Adventure above the Arctic Circle at North America’s Last Nomads. Take this unique and affordable opportunity to visit a contemporary Eskimo village and people whose rich and ancient heritage guide them as they work to blend the conveniences of modern life with their traditional subsistence hunting lifestyle. From the museum’s front deck, visitors can take in the majestic panorama of a broad and open valley set against the rugged limestone mountains of the Brooks Range, while exhibits and displays inside offer insights into the origins and physical environment of the mountains and the history of the Nunamiut people. The museum pays particular attention to illustrating the importance of caribou as the foundation of the economy. Also of interest are displays which tell of the Nunamiut rigorous and highly mobile way of life and their eventual decision, beginning in the 1950s, to settle into a permanent village. They were among the very last of North America’s nomadic peoples to do so. Visit the “Hans van der Laan Brooks Range Library Collection” which holds rare books, Alaska publications as well as the photo, document and oral history archives. A small information and gift shop offering such items as the well-known Anaktuvuk Pass caribou skin mask and other native crafts as well as souvenir clothing and booklets, is in the museum. Daily flights are available to the village via Fairbanks based air services and tour operations, allowing visitors the option of a day visit, or staying overnight. Museum summer hours of operation are Monday thru Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekend openings may be arranged, in advance for organized tours. Admission is $10 adults / $5 child (5-17 years).