Explorers like Cook passed their knowledge on through written journals and maps , shared with the rest of the world . People learned this geography , and called the land by these written names .
As traders and settlers came to Alaska , they adapted some Native place names , using pronunciations that were easier in Russian or English . They named other landmarks and cities after politicians , resources , or geographic characteristics .
Place names that had been passed down for thousands of years were used less and less . Wisdom of the land — the gift of generations of ancestors — began to disappear .