Located within the vast Brooks Range, Anaktuvuk Pass is a testament to the enduring spirit of the Arctic and its people. Accessible only by air, this village stands within the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, surrounded by mountains, rivers, and boundless tundra.
Anaktuvuk Pass, meaning “place of caribou droppings,” is a historic caribou migration route and the last remaining settlement of the inland Iñupiat, known as the Nunamiut. Their ancestors were once nomadic, but changing caribou populations led to dispersing in the early 1900s. In the 1940s, families returned, drawn by the land and establishing a permanent community.
The village offers visitors a glimpse into a life shaped by tradition and the challenges of the Arctic environment. Their year-round museum showcases the natural and cultural history of the region, including artifacts and exhibits on the Bering Land Bridge migration and traditional Nunamiut lifeways. Anaktuvuk Pass remains deeply connected to its past, with its economy based largely on subsistence hunting of caribou.
The village offers visitors a glimpse into a life shaped by tradition and the challenges of the Arctic environment. Their year-round museum showcases the natural and cultural history of the region, including artifacts and exhibits on the Bering Land Bridge migration and traditional Nunamiut lifeways. Anaktuvuk Pass remains deeply connected to its past, with its economy based largely on subsistence hunting of caribou, with approximately 76% of its 393 residents (as of 2015) employed in the public sector.
