Alaska’s cruise industry has long relegated Indigenous peoples to the margins of the tourism economy. Now, a shift is occurring.

Thompson & Co

The Huna Totem Corporation was featured on Condé Nast Traveler' s Bright Ideas in Travel 2026. Read the full list of winners here .

From April to October, cruise ships tower over downtown Juneau’s Marine Way, a coastal path that connects the port zone to downtown. Should a traveler pause for a moment between ship and souvenir store, they’ll notice Kaagwaantaan Kootéeyaa, a tall, intricately carved pole rising against a backdrop of forest and mountains. At its base, a panel explains that the cedar pole depicts five of the Kaagwaantaan Tlingit clan’s crests: a hat, person, orca, eagle and bear.…