Peter Metcalfe

A lifelong Alaskan, writer, publisher, and photographer, Peter Metcalfe has written several books about Alaska Native history.

Soon after high school, Metcalfe was hired as a community organizer for the Citizens Participation Committee that oversaw Juneau’s War on Poverty program. In this job, Metcalfe worked alongside a generation of Alaska Natives who later led businesses and institutions that developed in the 1970s such as Alaska Native corporations (under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971), and, following the 1975 Self-Determination Act, tribal and health care organizations.

Following a year of community organizing he attended college (University of Chicago) and worked summers on commercial fishing boats in the Gulf of Alaska.

In 1980, Metcalfe began a decades-long career as an independent communications specialist, producing video documentaries and publications. His books include the history of Alaska Native health services (Gumboot Determination), an illustrated book about an Alaska Native family that created what is now the largest whale-watching business in North America (Bob & Betty Allen's Alaska), and "A Dangerous Idea," about how Alaska Natives won indigenous and civil rights well ahead of the national movements. Metcalfe’s photography has appeared in numerous periodicals, books, and websites.