Search Collections

Collection Highlights

Chief's Jacket, Tanana Athabascan/Dene

Halibut Hook, Tlingit

Charm Belt, St. Lawrence Island Yupik

Sheep Horn Dipper, Haida

Tool Box, Inupiaq

Blockhouse, Kolmakovsky Redoubt

Gut Window, Yup'ik

Grass Basket, Unangax̂

Atlatl, Alutiiq/Sugpiaq

Button Robe, Tsimshian

Search collections in person

If you're interested in visiting the collections in person, please visit our Collections Access page.

Search Arctos for Ethnology & History Collections

Quick-Start Guide

Or search the database from the default search page:

Once at the navigate to UAM collections by selecting from the menu at top. Scroll down to University of Alaska Museum (UAM) Ethnology and History objects and select "Search" at right.
At the main search page you may need to select "customize" to see more options.
Ethnology and History collections can be searched in several different ways:
- By catalog number in the "Identifiers" section.
  - If you know the catalog number for the artifact you are looking for, enter it here in its entirety (e.g., 0067-0287; 1-1933-9427; or UA64-063-0001AB).
- By accession number in the "Catalog Record" section.
  - If you know the accession number (i.e., the collection number), enter it here in its entirety (e.g., UA64-021; 1-1940; 0199).
- By object type in "Identifications" section.
  - Enter the most general name for an object (e.g., knife, basket, arrow, etc.) in "Any taxon, ID, common name" field.
  - Or enter the object name in "Identification" and select Match Type "contains."
- By geographic location in the "Place" section.
  - Enter a place name in "Any Geographic Element" (e.g., Point Hope, Galena, Angoon, etc.).
  - For greater specificity, enter a place name in "Specific Locality".
- By collector or creator in the "Catalog Record" section.
  - Enter a person's name in the field next to the "Agent Role" dropdown menu.
  - If you get no results in your search, try entering only the first or last name.
- By culture in "Catalog Record" section.
  - If working from , begin typing a cultural designation and pick from list in "Culture of Origin" or "Culture of Use" fields in the Catalog Record section.
  - If working from , select [customize] and select boxes next to "culture_of_origin" and "culture_of_use" then scroll to top and save. Then follow previous instructions.
- By description in "Catalog Record" section.
  - Enter text string that might be part of the description of the object (e.g., concentric circle).