Ilanka Cultural Center


This compact museum operated by local Alaska Natives has a small but high-quality collection of Alaska Native art from all over the state. Don’t miss the intact killer-whale skeleton – one of only five in the world – with flippers that could give you quite a slap.

Also on display is artist Mike Webber’s Shame Pole, a totem pole that tells the grim tale of the oil spill, spitting back the famous words of Exxon’s then top official Don Cornett: ‘We will make you whole again.’ This place also has a wonderful gift shop and offers classes on such crafty subjects as scrimshaw and spruce-root weaving. Call for a schedule.


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