Ahtena Indian Tribe
Location
Signifying "Ice People" Also called:
Copper River Indians, popular name
Intsi Dindjich, Kutchin name, meaning "men of iron"
Ketschetnäer or Kolshina, Russian name meaning, "ice people"
Mednofski, Russian name meaning "cooper river people"
Yellowknife Indians, by Ross (quoted by Dall, 1877
Yullit, Ugalakmiut name
Connections
The Ahtena belonged to the Athapascan linguistic stock.
Physically they are said to bear a close resemblance to the Koyukukhotana.
Location-In the basin of Cooper River
Subdivisions
According to Allen (1887) Miduusky, on Cooper River from its mouth to Tazlina River, and its branches. Tatlazan, above the Tazlina. According to Hoffman (ms,): Ikherkhamut, near the mouth of Copper River.
Kangikhlukhmut, at the head of Copper River. Kulchana, about headwaters of the Kuskokwim and extending probably into the valley of Copper River, but Osgood (1936) calls this "an erroneous generalized extension of the Ahtena people." Kulushut, on Copper River next above the Ikherkhamut.
Shukhtutakhlit, on Copper River next above the Kangikhlukhmut. Vikhit, next below the Kulchana (?). Villages
Alaganik, with Ugalakmiut near the mouth of Copper River.
Batzulnetas, near upper Copper River where the trail for Tanana River begins.
Liebigstag, on the left bank of Copper River, latitude 61°57' N., longitude 145°45' W.
Midauski, on the east bank of Copper River below the mouth of Tonsina Creek.
Skatalis, near the mouth of Copper River, probably the original Alaganik
Skolai, on Nizina River near the mouth of Chitistone River, latitude 61°21'N., longitude 143°17' W.
Slana, at the confluence of Slana and Copper Rivers.
Titlogat, probably of the Kulchana division. (But cf. Osgood above.)
Toral, on Copper River at the mouth of Chitina River.
History
The mouth of Copper River was discovered by Nagaieff in 1781, but expeditions into the interior met with such consistent hostility on the part of the natives that for a long time they were a simple record of failure. The attempts of Samoylof in 1796, Lastóchkin in 1798, Klimoffsky in 1819, and Gregorief in 1844 all ended in the same way. Serebrannikof ventured up the river in 1818, his disregard for the natives cost him his
life and the lives of three of his companions. In 1882 after the cession of Alaska to the States, a trader named Holt ascended as far as Taral but on a subsequent visit he was killed by the natives. In 1884 Lt. Abercrombie explored a part of the river, and in 1885 a thorough exploration of the whole region was made by Lt. Allen, who visited the Ahtena villages on Copper River and on its principal tributaries. From that time on intercourse
between the river people and Whites has been increasingly intimate.
Population
Mooney (1928) estimated 500 Ahtena for the year 1740. Petroff
(1884) placed their numbers in 1880 at not more than 300. Allen (1887) gave 366
on the river and its branches. The census of 1890 returned 142, and that of
1910, 297. In 192o the total native population of Alaska speaking Athapascan
dialects was 4,657 in 1930, 4,935.
Resources:
Notes About the Book:
Source: The Indian Tribes of North America, by John R. Swanton, 1953, Bureau of
American Ethnology, Bulletin 145, US Government Printing Office, Washington DC.
Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and then ocr'd. Minimal editing
has been done, and readers can and should expect some errors in the textual
output.
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