Amazing Alaska

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Advancing Native Place Names

in Alaska

Gary Holton, Lawrence Kaplan, and James Kari

Alaska Native Language Center

University of Alaska Fairbanks

COGNA 2013, Minneapolis





Alaska Native Language Center

• Founded 1972 with the mission:

1. study languages native to Alaska

2. develop literacy materials

3. assist in the translation of important documents

4. provide for the development and dissemination of

Alaska Native literature

5. train Alaska Native language speakers to work asteachers and aides in bilingual classrooms to teach

and support Alaska’s twenty indigenous languages



Alaska Native Language Archive

• Largest repository of ANL documentation

• ~ 1500 linear ft. manuscripts, including nearly

everything written in or about Alaska Native

languages

• ~ 5000 recordings



Alaska Native Place Name project

• Goal: create comprehensive database of Alaska Native place

name documentation, whether official or not



Language Families in Alaska

• Inuit (Eskimo-Aleut)

• 5 languages

• Na-Dene (Athabascan-Eyak-Tlingit)

• 13 languages plus 30+ others in Canada and lower 48

• Haida

• Tsimshian



• GNIS lists 31,004 official (geographic) names in Alaska

• Significant (but unknown) number of these are of

native-origin

• Total number of indigenous names much larger

• Extrapolating from Ahtna region (234 names / m ha.)

to the entire state we expect approx. 39,000 names

•Probably a lower limit, since many coastalareas show much higher densities

(e.g., King Island 163,000 / m ha.)

Place names in Alaska



Official names approved in Alaska

0

50

100

150

200

250

1980s 1990s 2000s

Native

non-Native



Native-origin names

• Original names

• Official with Anglicized spelling (Talkeetna)

• Unofficial with Anglicized spelling (Denali)

• Official with Anglicized spelling and English generic(Chena River)

• Official with proper spelling and English generic

(K’esugi Ridge)

• Official with proper spelling (Troth Yeddha’)

• Coined names

• Native-origin but not traditional (Ashana Lake, Tsaani Creek)

• Mis-placed Native names



Eliminating pejorative names

• Native names provide an excellent source to replace

English names which are considered pejorative

• Tsaani Creek (Ahtna, 2009)

• Tł’oo Hanshyah Mountain (Gwich’in, 2012)

• Łochenyatth Creek (Lower Tanana, 2012)



Previously unnamed features

• Actual Native names• K’esugi Ridge (Dena’ina, 2002)

• Taq’ Nust’in Moutain (Dena’ina, 2008)

• Ciissinraq River (Yup’ik, 2008)

•Nen’ Yese’ Ridge (Ahtna, 2011)

• G a̲ndláay Háanaa (Haida, 2012)

• Hawadax Island (Aleut, 2012)

• Troth Yeddha’ (Lower Tanana, 2012)

• Thachkatnu (Dena’ina)

• Coined names• Ashana Lake (Dena’ina, 2009)

• Ch’akajabena Mountain (Dena’ina, 2005)

• Mount Chichantna (Dena’ina, 1999)

• Mount Nagishlamina (Dena’ina, 1999)



Anglicization

• Changed from Łach Q’atnu by cartographer (Imus Geographics)

• Then officially adopted based on Anglicization



Misplaced Native names

• Many apparent “Native” names are not actually the correct namefor the feature

• Ch’akajabena Mountain adopted in 2005, based on name for

nearby lake

• Proposal prompted change Chakachamna Ch’akajabena Lake



Ch’akajabena Mountain

Ch’akaja Bena Dghil’u

Misplaced Native names



Ch’akajabena Dghilu

Ch’akajatnu

Ch’akajabena

Ch’akaja ‘tail extends out’

Ch’akajabena Lake

Chakachatna River



Village Names

• Atqasuk, ‘downslope’, replaces Meade River

• Nuiqsut, ‘things speared’, replaces Nooiksut (should be Nuiqsat)

• Nanwalek, ‘one with lagoon’, replaces English Bay

•Nunam Iqua, ‘land’s end’, replaces Sheldons Point

• Indigenous Peoples and Languages of Alaska map (2011) lists over

250 village names in proper orthography



• GNIS lists 47 variants

• 7 of these are Native names

• Deenaalee (Koyukon)

• Dinadhit (Lower Tanana)

• Denaze (Upper Kuskokwim)

• Denadhe (Holikachuk)

• Dengadhiy (Deg Xinag)

• Dghelaay Ce’e (Ahtna)

•Dghelay Ka’a (Dena’ina)

Denali



Native names are steeped in history

Troth Yeddha’



DeenaaleeDeenaalee Be’ot

Native names reflect a unique view of the

landscape



Official Native names

• A more manageable program

• Simple, straightforward strategy for creating database

of Native names for officially named features

1. Identify Native-origin names in GNIS database

2. If name = Native name, flag it

3. If variant = Native name, flag it

4. Otherwise, add proper variant and flag it

• Could be used to easily create a map with Native

names or Native name variants

• Could be done easily using existing knowledge



Talkeetna River

Variant

Chunilna Creek

I’delcuut Na’

K’dalkitnu

K’dalkitnu Tl’u

Talkeet RiverTalkeetno River

Talkitnu

Talkutna River

Which is the correct Native name?



Talkeetna River

Variant Citation

Chunilna Creek Orth

I’delcuut Na’ Kari &Fall 2003

K’dalkitnu Kari & Fall 2004

K’dalkitnu Tl’u Kari & Fall 2003

Talkeet River n/aTalkeetno River n/a

Talkitnu Orth

Talkutna River n/a

Is it easier if we know the citation?



Cook Inlet

Baie Kenaiskaia

Baie de Cook

Cook’s Arm Cook’s Inlet

Cooks River

Danse

Groosginclose

Kenai Bay

Kenaiaskoi Golfe

Kenaischev Ttunaiskych

Kenaiskischer

Kenaiskischev Meerbusen

Nuti

Nuti Tikahtnu

Sund Kenai

Tika’atnu

Tikahtnu

Too Chux Bogha

Zaliv Kenayskoy



Cook Inlet

Baie Kenaiskaia

Baie de Cook

Cook’s Arm Cook’s Inlet

Cooks River

Danse

Groosginclose

Kenai Bay

Kenaiaskoi Golfe

Kenaischev Ttunaiskych

Kenaiskischer

Kenaiskischev Meerbusen

Nuti

Nuti Tikahtnu

Sund Kenai

Tika’atnu

Tikahtnu

Too Chux Bogha

Zaliv Kenayskoy

Possible Native names in bold; which is correct?



Kuskokwim

River

Chin-ana n/a

Dechena Nek’a Kari 1999

Dechenaa Neege Kari 1999

Dechenaa Neek’a Kari 1999

Dechenaa No’ Kari 1999

Dichinanek’ ANLA 2011

Dichinanek’a Kari & Fall 2003

Dichinano’ Kari 1999

Degenegh Kari 1999

Djenegh Kari 1999

Kenaniq’ Kari 2007

Kugikukvik River Orth

Kugikukwik River Orth

Kusququvak Jacobson 1984

Ryka Kuskokvim Orth

Ttychannanika Kari & Fall 2003



Summary

• There is growing public interest in Native names in

Alaska

• Existing resources are difficult to use and do not

identify the correct Native name• Creating a comprehensive gazetteer will be a

monumental work (though see Bright 2004)

• However, creating an authoritative reference for those

places which already have official names (whether

Native or not) is a manageable task

• Can be accomplished by simply recognizing “privileged”

authoritative variant within GNIS

Documents

Amazing Alaska