Denaʼina

The Denaʼina are an Alaska Native Athabaskan people from south central Alaska. Their homeland, called Denaʼina Ełnena, is very large—it covers more than 41,000 mi² (110,000 km²). It stretches from Seldovia in the south to Chickaloon in the northeast, Talkeetna in the north, Lime Village in the northwest, and Pedro Bay in the southwest. They came to this area between 1,000 and 1,500 years ago and were the only Alaskan Athabaskan group to live near the coast.

The Denaʼina lived by hunting and gathering food. Their families were traced through the mother's side. Their old paths later became the basis for the famous Iditarod Trail. They had neighbors like other Athabaskan groups such as the Deg Hitʼan, Upper Kuskokwim, Koyukon, Lower Tanana, and Ahtna, as well as Yupik peoples like the Pacific Yupik and Central Yupik.

Name

The name "Dena’ina" means "the people". It comes from two parts: dena meaning "person" and ina, the word for "people" in the Dena’ina language. This is like how the Navajo people call themselves "Diné."

The Dena’ina call Cook Inlet Tikahtnu, which means "Big Water River" or "Ocean River". They also call it Nuti, which means "Saltwater."

Culture

The Denaʼina are the only Northern Athabascan group who lived near saltwater. This helped them live in a more settled way compared to other Northern Athabascans.

They were organized into regional bands called Ht’ana, meaning "people of [a place or area]." These bands had several villages. Each village had homes for many families, known as Nichił. Each home was led by an important person called a qeshqa, whom others called "Chiefs."

In these villages, men and women belonged to their mother's clan. The clans were split into two groups, and people could only marry someone from a different clan and group. This helped keep the community strong and diverse. Evidence shows that the Denaʼina have lived in the Upper and Outer Cook Inlet areas for about 1,000 years. They moved there from places like the Mulchatna and Stony River areas long before that.

Language and bands

The Denaʼina people have their own traditional language, called Denaʼina (Dena’ina Qenaga). Today, only a few Denaʼina people still speak this language well. Denaʼina is one of eleven Alaska Athabascan languages.

There are four main groups of Denaʼina dialects and bands. These groups are linked to different areas and villages across south central Alaska. The main groups include the Inland/Denaʼina around Lake Clark, the Iliamna Denaʼina near Lake Iliamna, the Upper Inlet Denaʼina around the Cook Inlet area, and the Outer Inlet or Kenai Denaʼina along the Kenai Peninsula. Each group has smaller local villages and they are now organized into modern tribal communities.

Dena’ina Alaska Native Regional Corporations/Alaska Native village corporations

The Dena’ina people are organized into several groups. The Cook Inlet Tribal Council represents Upper Inlet and Outer Inlet/Kenai Dena’ina-speaking bands. It includes groups such as the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, Native Village of Eklutna, Kenaitze Indian Tribe, Knik Tribal Council, Ninilchik Traditional Council, Salamatof Tribal Council, Seldovia Village Tribe, and Native Village of Tyonek.

Other groups include Alexander Creek, Incorporated for Upper Inlet Dena’ina-speaking bands; Calista Corporation for Inland/Lake Clark Dena’ina-speaking bands, including Lime Village; Bristol Bay Native Association for Inland/Lake Clark Dena’ina and Iliamna Dena’ina-speaking bands, with groups like Iliamna Village Council, Newhalen Tribal Council, and Nondalton Tribal Council; Pedro Bay Corporation for Iliamna Dena’ina-speaking bands, including Pedro Bay Village Council; and Kuskokwim Corporation for Inland/Lake Clark Dena’ina-speaking bands, covering villages such as Stony River, Aniak, Chuathbaluk, Georgetown, and Red Devil.

Namesakes

The city of Anchorage honored the Denaʼina people. They named its new convention center the Denaʼina Civic and Convention Center.

Notable Denaʼina people

Some well-known Denaʼina people include Alice E. Brown, an activist, Adelheid Herrmann, a researcher and state legislator in Alaska, and Peter Kalifornsky, an author and researcher.