ALASKA NATIVE LANGUAGE CENTER
Take the next steps in improving your language skills. Join the Alaska Native language
revitalization movement. Identify your oral and written strengths. Reconnect with
your Native language. Excel with support and advising resources to help you on your
educational journey. You can do it all at the Alaska Native Language Center.
Our commitment to Alaska Native languages
The University of Alaska Fairbanks is committed to preserving, documenting and teaching Alaska’s Indigenous languages. The Alaska Native Language Center, a critical component of the College of Indigenous Studies, was established by the Alaska Legislature in 1972 and is at the core of UAF's commitment. As specified by statute, the ANLC mission is to:
- study languages native to Alaska;
- develop literacy materials;
- assist in the translation of important documents;
- provide for the development and dissemination of Alaska Native literature; and
- train Alaska Native language speakers to work as teachers and aides in bilingual classrooms.
The Alaska Native Language Center is home to five full-time faculty members and three staff members, the Alaska Native Language Archive, and a publications office with a dedicated Editorial Board. The ANLC team is active in academic and community-based research and teaching.
We Are Accepting Manuscript Submissions!
The Alaska Native Language Center is now accepting manuscript submissions. If you
have authored a book in or about an Alaska Native language and are looking to publish,
we want to hear from you!
Explore Opportunities at the Alaska Native Language Center
Are you interested in learning or teaching Alaska Native languages? Maybe you already speak one or more of Alaska’s 20+ Native languages and want to grow closer to your culture and community members?
The Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has the resources and programs to help you build a solid foundation in Alaska Native languages, linguistics and cultural history. Opportunities include undergraduate and associate degrees, as well as professional certificates, in languages such as Yup’ik Language and Iñupiaq Language. We offer the only bachelor’s degree granting programs in Alaska Native languages in the world.
UAF students are as varied as the languages we teach — from high school students looking to earn dual credit to retired adults who want to develop new skills or learn more about their culture. Some take classes on campus while others join remotely from different parts of the world. At the Alaska Native Language Center, we welcome everyone to share in the joys of learning a new language and exploring rich cultures.
Earn your bachelor’s degree, add a minor to your major field of study, or complete a certificate program. UAF’s Alaska Native Language Center offers services to help you find a new career or become a more active participant in your community.
Programs in the Alaska Native Language Center include:
- Minors in Alaska Native Languages
- Yup’ik Language and Culture
- Iñupiaq Language
- Native Language Education
Student Services at the Alaska Native Language Center
Learning a new language is not a solitary activity, and it’s necessary to have people who care about you and your academic journey. At the Alaska Native Language Center, you’ll have the support of dedicated advisors, counselors, and faculty mentors who will help you at every stage of your educational experience.
Our caring advisors will help you find the right language program, plan your courses, and apply for financial aid. As a student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, you’ll benefit from access to the Alaska Native Languages Archive, which houses resources on the 20+ Native languages spoken in Alaska dating back to the 1940s.
Learn more about a Native language while gaining a deeper understanding of culture and history that you can share with others. At UAF’s Alaska Native Language Center, you can take courses in person for a campus experience or remotely to fit your work and life schedules.
Learn more about the many Alaska Native languages spoken throughout the region.
Receive financial support to help pay for tuition, course fees, books and living expenses. The University of Alaska Fairbanks offers financial aid advising services to ensure the Alaska Native Language Center is accessible to everyone. This includes FAFSA workshops in villages throughout Alaska.
Outreach and Events
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New ANLC Publications Available Summer 2026
Browse our books on the UPC websiteTwo new ANLC books are now available to order through our publishing partner the University Press of Colorado!
Sergie and the White Seal, by Garrett Iĝayux̂ Pletnikoff and Hannah Atsaq Zimmerman
A modern Unangan retelling of Rudyard Kipling's "The White Seal," this chapter book is aimed at children ages 8-12 and features over 90 Unangam Tunuu words and phrases.
Held in Memory, Shared in Story: Teachings of the Middle Kuskokwim, compiled by Dr. Ann Fienup-Riordan
A compilation of stories shared by Elders of the Middle Kuskokwim, both personal and traditional, exploring language, culture, and ancestral memory.
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Two new books available at ANLC Bookstore
Visit the bookstoreWe are excited to announce two new publications now available at our bookstore:
Navarpagmiut Qanemciit-llu = Iliamna Lake People and Their Stories: Place Names and Sense of Place, compiled by Dr. Yoko Kugo
A Grammar of Kodiak Island Alutiiq, by Dr. Anna Berge
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New ANLC Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary Published
Visit the bookstoreThe Lower Tanana Dene Dictionary, by Dr. James Kari, is a midsized Lexware dictionary that consolidates nearly all primary data for this language of Alaska’s middle Tanana River Valley from the years 1903 to 2023.
Now available in ebook, hardcover and paperback at the ANLC bookstore.
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Visit the store
The new ANLC Publication Store is now online. Check it out and buy a book or two while you're there.
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ANLC honors the Elders and knowledge bearers who helped promote Alaska Native languages.Visit the Remembering our Elders page