Project Jukebox Survey

Help us redesign the Project Jukebox website by taking a very short survey!

Richard Nelson

Born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1941, Richard Nelson received a Master's degree in anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1971. He first came to Alaska in 1961 to do research on Kodiak Island. He was involved in some of the early studies that were used in developing subsistence policy for Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. Richard's involvement with Native communities on the North Slope and the Koyukuk River dates back several decades. As an anthropologist and free-lance writer, Richard has lived and worked among Eskimo and Athabascan people, documenting not only unique lifeways, but also conveying a sense of the rich spiritual traditions that bind Native people together with each other and their environment. Among his many works based on these studies are several books, including Tracks in the Wildland, Make Prayers to the Raven, and Shadow of the Hunter. In 1987, in collaboration with KUAC TV in Fairbanks, he was associate producer and writer for a public television series also titled "Make Prayers to the Raven." In 1989, he published, The Island Within, which departs from these earlier works in that it focuses more on his personal experience and the way in which his involvement with Native culture has shaped his own environmental awareness. Richard Nelson was also interviewed by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program about his personal background (Tape # Oral History 87-53), which is not yet available on-line.

Richard Nelson appears in the following new Jukebox projects:

Gates of the Arctic National Park

Interview Title	Abstract	Archive #: Oral History	Project	Date of Interview
Richard Nelson	Richard Nelson was interviewed on September 22, 1992 by Bill Schneider at Elmer E. Rasmuson Library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Richard was making a brief visit to Fairbanks on other business, but took time to talk about his involvement in some of the early studies that were used in developing subsistence policy for Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. One of Richard's most important strengths has been his ability to really listen to his teachers in the villages, and in this recording it becomes clear just how hard he worked to gain a cross-cultural understanding of subsistence issues and then to communicate that understanding to park planners. He describes the political climate of the 1970's and the sense of urgency about protecting land and lifeways from uncontrolled resource extraction industries. He also recalls how his personal interest in living close to the land fit well with his anthropological commitment to extensive fieldwork in the villages based on participating and observing. Finally, he offers a perspective to park personnel who may come from the Lower 48 and have little understanding of Native culture. He urges such people to try to understand the spiritual dimensions of subsistence, and to recognize Native cultures as a critical resource to that understanding.	93-15-30	Gates of the Arctic National Park	Sep 22, 1992