Life in the 1940s Chenega Village Comes to Life in a New Book and Documentary Film.
Chenega Diaries: Stories and Voices of Our Past is a beautiful, informative look back at life in the Alaska Native Village of Chenega. The book and companion documentary DVD are filled with photos, school children’s diary entries, letters, and other primary source materials. Recent interviews with Chenega Tribal Elders add historical perspective to the narrative. In this same vein, descendants of the diary writers are the voices narrating the diary entries on the DVD, giving those descendants a firsthand experience in preserving their culture. The companion website has been designed with educators in mind; it includes lesson plans tied to Alaska state standards.