“Land is the gift of our ancestors and the guarantee of our right to continue our subsistence lifestyle. Land is the heart of our culture. Without land, we are nothing.”
– Harvey Samuelsen 1926 – 2004
“You can’t lose your culture as long as you are learning place names in your Native language.”
– Robert Charlie, Athabascan Elder
“Alaska’s place names should reflect and respect the rich cultural history of our state…”
– Alaska Governor Bill Walker, lauding the official recognition of the name Denali
Land Acknowledgement
We would like to recognize the Dena’ina Athabascan people of the Eklutna Native Village and Knik Tribal Council whose traditional homelands the Bristol Bay Native Corporation resides on here in Dena’ina Ełnena what we now call Anchorage or Dgheyaytnu (Daguy–kaq) or (Daguy-tnu) the Athabascan name for Anchorage. We recognize the thousands of years of stewardship and acknowledge the people of Dena’ina Ełnena as they continue to be the caretakers of the land and its resources.
Thank you to the Alutiiq/Sugpiaq, Dena’ina/Tanaina, and Yup’ik/Yupiaq peoples of Bristol Bay. We recognize the thousands of years of stewardship and acknowledge the people of the region as they continue to be the caretakers of the land. Quyana, Chin’an, Quyanaa!
News and Updates:
Bristol Bay Native Corporation Land Department and Bristol Bay Native Corporation Education Foundation hosted a workshop, attended by 70, that addressed Cultural Heritage Program Resources. Several panelists, representing public and private organizations, described funding opportunities…
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Ron Chambers Ron Chambers, of Southern Tutchone, Tlingit and Scottish ancestry, gifted the audience with traditional songs and dances to conclude the Alaska Native Place Names Workshop, held in Anchorage, Alaska,…
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Dr. Lawrence Kaplan Dr. Lawrence Kaplan, professor of Linguistics and Director of the Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Ann Riordan, an independent scholar who has worked with…
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Gayle Miller Gayle Miller, director of academic programs for the Lower Kuskokwim School District, studies a map of Bristol Bay place names during a break at the Alaska Native Place Names…
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Hazel Faye Katuk Pebley Hazel Faye Katuk Pebley, Deputy Director, North Slope Borough, Department of Iñupiat History Language and Culture, reviews a map of place names during a break at the…
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