Preserving the sounds of Alaska
The rich sound of our great state through music and spoken word
Included in our mission -
Preserving the oral history, traditions and music of Alaska's indigenous peoples through preservation of existing work and new recording.
A New Development:
On Sunday, September 23, 2018 an emergency order was signed by then Governor Walker, the aim being to promote and preserve all 20 recognized indigenous languages in Alaska.
The Alaska native language preservation and advisory Council released a report in 2018, warning that the languages may face extinction by the end of the century. Last April, 2018 the Alaska Legislature passed a resolution urging the governor to make this declaration.
At this important juncture of recognizing the need for language preservation, The Alaska Music Archives is prepared to focus on outreach to all Indigenous peoples, to find solutions for language and story preservation.
A natural extension of the Alaska Music Archives (AkMA) is to capture and preserve other (all) recorded sounds. In particular, we are increasing our focus on Alaska's Native Oral History.
This nonprofit has a valuable and unique relationship with a renowned recordist and archivist, Kurt Riemann of Surreal Studios. Alaskan-born Kurt has extensive experience in traditional music recording and digital archiving, including oral history and language preservation for every region in Alaska. Precious original recordings stay in-State; and are treated with expert care in the State’s largest professional studio.
Recent includes work with Alaska Native Language Center, Calista Corporation, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anne Riordan, the National Parks Service and and every regional group in the state.
Mr. Riemann is a lifelong Alaskan, with long-term relationships and trust within the community.
Our partnerships with regional corporations create opportunities for individuals and groups to safely preserve their oral and musical heritage.
If you know of any collections (tapes or other recordings) of oral history or Native Alaskan music, let us know. We provide unparalleled digitization and archival services.
The Alaska Music Archives proudly acknowledges support from the Atwood and Rasmuson Foundations.
