The Museum of Natural and Cultural History and the Many Nations Longhouse are gearing up to celebrate winter — North Pole-style — during their annual winter solstice event, set for Friday, Dec. 18.

This year’s celebration Northern Lights commemorates the 30th anniversary of the museum’s Jensen Arctic Collection and will feature live music, poetry and a variety of family activities celebrating life near the top of the world. The event will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the museum, 1680 E. 15th Ave., and at the adjacent Longhouse. Admission is free with a non-perishable food donation to FOOD for Lane County.

Among the evening’s featured performers will be the Northwest Inupiaq Dancers, with two appearances at the Longhouse at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.    

“We’re excited to bring Inuit dancing to Eugene,” said Roben Itchoak, an Inupiaq from Alaska and curator of the Jensen Arctic Collection at the museum. “The dancers are historians, and each of their movements conveys a specific cultural meaning. It’s an important way of preserving and transmitting knowledge within Inuit societies, as well as a traditional way of welcoming strangers.”

Also in this year’s Longhouse lineup are Moe Bowstern and Mary Jacobs of the FisherPoets Gathering, who at 6 p.m. will present “Fish Tales from Alaska Waters.” The poets’ appearance is co-sponsored by the Oregon Folklife Network.   

During the celebration, visitors of all ages can make crafts, explore the science behind the Northern Lights phenomenon and learn about Arctic animals—all while enjoying hot cider, cookies, face painting and live music. Food will be available for purchase from the local gourmet cart Sammitch, and new family memberships to the MNCH will be offered at half-price throughout the event.   

Established in 1985 by Western Oregon University professor emeritus Paul H. Jensen, the Jensen Arctic Collection includes more than 5,000 objects that span all eight Arctic countries. The museum adopted the collection from WOU in 2014 and has since transferred it to its state-of the-art curation facility, where it joins the museum’s extensive Alaskan holdings.

“Together, our Alaskan and Arctic collections reflect the cultural sophistication, dynamism and resilience of peoples living in one of the world’s harshest environments,” said MNCH director Jon Erlandson.

“With its emphasis on the 20th century, the Jensen Collection represents an important time capsule from a region that’s undergoing rapid ecological and social change," he said. "We’re fortunate to have this significant collection here in Oregon, and we’re delighted to celebrate its anniversary with the community.”

— Kristin Strommer, Museum of Natural and Cultural History