French-Alaskan cultural exchange

"The World" goes to France to introduce you to an extraordinary collection of wooden ceremonial masks and artifacts. They were used in the past by the Alutiiq people of the Alaskan island of Kodiak. 

We owe the survival of these artworks and crafts to a French explorer and a French museum. That museum has housed more than 100 of these items for nearly a century. Now, some of the masks are back in Kodiak with the blessings of the French and the appreciation of the Alutiiq.

See images from the museum

PRI’s "The World" is a one-hour, weekday radio news magazine offering a mix of news, features, interviews, and music from around the globe. "The World" is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.

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