Theo Glimpses Long Ago Alaskan Native Life

 How long can we string Theo, the gangster cat, along? We're still in the Anchorage Museum, but we've left the dog section, and I can see the expression on his face--what now?

Living in Alaska is very different than living in the contiguous United States. Living in Alaska hundreds of years ago was like living in a very different world--relying on the sometimes unforgiving and cruel natural world around you for food and clothing. 

We stroll through the exhibits. 

Boots for a wet, snowy and cold climate:

Gloves:

Decorated boxes to store things in that give us a glimpse into their world:

Baskets to carry things around:

Beatifully decorated pouches to carry personal items:

Handmade canoes to navigate the rivers and streams:

All these are practical day to day products that the native people needed to survive harsh wet snowy winters.

Then we stumble upon the objects that make their culture so special--masks and wooden carved animals:

Theo was trying to be an interested museum goer but for a cat it's all about sniffing and touching what you see with your paw. When interesting artifacts are behind glass, it's hard for him to make a connection. Once or twice he smacked the glass, hoping that he could  break through or cause what was stashed behind the glass to suddenly come to life . . . we're not sure. 

As we were about to leave, we pushed Theo to tell us if there was anything he liked.

He thought for a moment. Finally he pointed to the wooden carved figure of a seal. We were impressed. A cat "art aficionado"!