Birch Hill Burial
Birch Hill Burial
The Alaska Native Birch Hill Cemetery came out of need for local families to practice a cultural tradition: to bury their departed loved ones as soon as possible, even in the winter.
Origin and Purpose of Alaska Native Birch Hill Cemetery​
The late Morris Thompson, then president of Doyon, Ltd. began talking with Jim Hayes, Fairbanks city mayor, about dedicating a portion of Birch Hill Cemetery for Alaska Native burials sometime in the late 1990s. Steve Ginnis received a call from Thompson about the idea and he agreed it was a good one.
The City of Fairbanks owned and operated the 47-acre Birch Hill Cemetery, just north of town, since 1957. The city did not allow winter burials at the time. Burials would happen once the snow melted and the ground thawed.
Rural Burial Traditions & Customs
Rural communities always buried their people right away. In the winter, that generally meant the people removed snow and then started a fire to warm up the ground in order to shovel out the thawed earth.
The family would hold tea in their homes and people came to visit and eat, with food provided by both the family and the community.
Men would build the wooden casket, embellishing them with carvings and decorations. The women would line the coffin with padding and fabric. Each casket would feature the deceased’s personality, as well as the community’s style.
Usually, someone would also fashion a wooden cross to be used as a marker. The cross would be long so that it could be anchored deep at the head of the grave.
Additional Community Traditions
While the described is a general overview of Native burials, practices vary from community to community. Some people put fencing around the graves. Others put replicas of houses on top and they could be small or cover the whole grave. Others would set up chairs or benches. It all depended on the family and tribal customs.
Cultural traditions also specify what the departed would wear and what would be placed inside the coffin. Communities would host a potlatch in honor of their loved ones, too.
Both Thompson and Ginnis had grown up in rural Alaska and these burial customs were a part of their lives. It was hard to practice in Fairbanks, as only two graveyards were available. Each had prohibitive guidelines, but the pressing issue was being able to bury in the winter. After Morris spoke with the city mayor, Jim Hayes agreed to carve out 10 acres for Native burial, which later turned out to be a little over eight acres after a survey. Fairbanks Native Association became the point of contact for Native families that wanted to bury a loved one.
Ownership & Community Vision
In 2010, after an agreement among FNA, Doyon, Tanana Chiefs Conference, Interior Regional Housing Authority, Alaska Native Veterans Association, Denakkanaaga, Inc., and the City of Fairbanks, FNA took over ownership and management of the cemetery.
The vision the cemetery was that it be a welcome place for Alaska Natives to send off loved ones in a traditional manner. Most of the cultural activities that happen in a rural community happens at the Alaska Native Birch Hill Cemetery.
Today & Beyond
Today people still make their own coffins and crosses. Some people will put a house atop of the final resting place. Others place wreaths on graves. Some people place artificial grass over the graves. The cemetery is a place of grief, hope, culture and pride. Every year people take care of family graves as a part of duty.
The final resting place of our people is also a part of life. Now is a good time to for us to come together over our Alaska Native cemetery. Please join us in the effort to maintain the Alaska Native Birch Hill Cemetery.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Shaylene Dublin
Executive Coordinator