Simon Paneak Museum preserves Nunamiut lifeways for future generations

The Simon Paneak Memorial Museum in Anaktuvuk Pass is the North Slope Borough’s living archive of Nunamiut life, language and material culture. Operated by the borough’s Inupiat History, Language and Culture division, the museum displays traditional hunting tools, clothing and a tupiq caribou-skin tent, and houses the Hans van der Laan Brooks Range Library. For a village accessible only by air, the museum is both a cultural anchor and a practical community resource.

As one of Anaktuvuk Pass’s primary attractions, the museum offers guided tours, school programs and a small gift shop that sells local crafts. Those functions do more than serve visitors: they help keep language and skills alive, provide modest economic opportunities for local artisans, and create spaces where elders and youth exchange knowledge. In a community where subsistence practices, seasonal travel and the health of the land are central to daily life, the museum’s role is tied directly to social and public health outcomes. Cultural continuity supports mental wellness, strengthens identity, and can reduce isolation among youth and elders alike.

Accessibility remains a key challenge. Because the village and museum are reachable only by air, travel costs and weather delays limit outside visitation and compound the cost of maintaining exhibits and programs. Those same transportation barriers affect access to healthcare, emergency services and regional outreach programs, making local cultural institutions more important as stable, in-village supports. Funding and staffing pressures at municipal and state levels shape what the museum can offer; sustained investment in local cultural infrastructure is therefore also an investment in community health equity.

Public health planners and policymakers should consider cultural institutions like the Simon Paneak Museum as part of preventive health and resilience strategies. Integrating museum-led education into school curricula, supporting elder stipends for storytelling and artifact care, and ensuring reliable operational funding will help preserve Nunamiut knowledge while addressing social determinants of health. Similarly, small economic supports for the gift shop and craftmakers can amplify local incomes without undermining subsistence economies.

For residents and visitors planning a trip, remember that Anaktuvuk Pass requires air travel and weather can change plans. Coordinate with village services, allow flexibility in itineraries, and support the museum by buying local crafts or arranging group educational visits for schools and health programs. The Simon Paneak Museum is more than a collection of objects; it is a community-maintained lifeline linking the Brooks Range past to present-day wellbeing.

The takeaway? Treat the museum like a community clinic for culture: visit, support local makers, and push for steady funding so Nunamiut stories, skills and health can continue for generations.