The Ahtna (also Ahtena, Atna, Ahtna-kohtaene, or Copper River) are an

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numb ...

Athabaskan Athabaskan (also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large family of indigenous languages of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, Pacific Co ...

people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. The people's homeland called Atna Nenn', is located in the

Copper River Copper River may refer to several places: *Copper River (Alaska), in the United States * Copper River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (afte ...

area of southern Alaska, and the name Ahtna derives from the local name for the Copper River. The total population of Ahtna is estimated at around 1,427. Their neighbors are other Na-Dené-speaking and

Yupik peoples The Yupik (plural: Yupiit) (; russian: Юпикские народы) are a group of indigenous or aboriginal peoples of western, southwestern, and southcentral Alaska and the Russian Far East. They are related to the Inuit and Iñupiat. Y ...

: Dena'ina (west),

Koyukon The Koyukon (russian: Коюконы) are an Alaska Native Athabascan people of the Athabascan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. Their traditional territory is along the Koyukuk and Yukon rivers where they subsisted for thousands of years b ...

(a little part of northwest),

Lower Tanana Lower Tanana (also Tanana and/or Middle Tanana) is an endangered language spoken in Interior Alaska in the lower Tanana River villages of Minto and Nenana. Of about 380 Tanana people in the two villages, about 30 still speak the language. As of ...

(north),

Tanacross Tanacross (also Transitional Tanana) is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken by fewer than 60 people in eastern Interior Alaska. Overview The word Tanacross (from " Tanana Crossing") has been used to refer both to a village in eastern ...

(north),

Upper Tanana Upper Tanana (also known as Tabesna, Nabesna or Nee'aanèegn') is an endangered Athabaskan language spoken in eastern Interior Alaska, United States, mainly in the villages of Northway, Tetlin, and Tok, and adjacent areas of the Canadian t ...

(northeast),

Southern Tutchone The Southern Tutchone are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in the southern Yukon in Canada. The Southern Tutchone language, traditionally spoken by the Southern Tutchone people, is a variety o ...

(southeast, in Canada), Tlingit (southeast),

Eyak The Eyak ( Eyak: ʔi·ya·ɢdəlahɢəyu·, literally "inhabitants of Eyak Village at Mile 6"Krauss, Michael E. 1970. ''Eyak dictionary''. University of Alaska and Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1963-1970) are a Native American indigenous ...

(south), and

Chugach Sugpiaq Chugach , Chugach Sugpiaq or Chugachigmiut is the name of an Alaska Native people in the region of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound on the southern coast of Alaska. The Chugach people are an Alutiiq (Pacific Eskimo) people who speak ...

(south).

Synonymy

The name ''Ahtena'', also written as ''Ahtna'' and ''Atnatana'', translates as "ice people." In some documentation the Ahtna have been called Copper Indians because of their ancestral homeland located in the basin of the

and its tributaries in southeastern Alaska. The word for the Copper River in Ahtna is 'Atna' tuu" (tuu meaning water). Thus, "Ahtna" refers to the People of the 'Atna' River (i.e. The Copper River). The named Yellowknife has also been used in reference to the Ahtna's copper-colored knives; however, another tribe, the Yellowknives, are also referred to as Copper Indians.

Language

The Ahtna are an

Athabaskan languages Athabaskan (also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large family of indigenous languages of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, Pacific Co ...

speaking tribe of the Subarctic cultural area, which classifies them as both Athabaskan and Subarctic Indians. Depending on the community's location along the Copper River, dialectal differences may occur. The Lower Ahtna (Ahtna'ht'aene) are near the river's mouth which opens into the

Gulf of Alaska The Gulf of Alaska (Tlingit: ''Yéil T'ooch’'') is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, ...

, the Middle Ahtna (Dan'ehwt'aene) are upriver a distance, and the Upper Ahtna (Tate'ahwt'aene) live on the upper parts of the river. The Tanaina people of the west are their closest linguistic relatives. About 80 Ahtnas are believed to still speak the language. In 1990 a dictionary was published by university linguist

James Kari James Kari is a linguist and Professor Emeritus with the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) specializing in the Dene (a.k.a. Athabascan languages) of Alaska. In the past forty-five years he has done extensi ...

, in order to preserve the language. Several years later, the Ahtna People themselves published a noun dictionary of their language (The Ahtna Noun Dictionary of Pronunciation Guide: Ahtna Heritage Foundation/Ahtna, Inc., 1998, 2011 Revised).

History

Origins and early history

About 2,000 years ago the Ahtna people moved into the area of the

Wrangell Mountains The Wrangell Mountains are a high mountain range of eastern Alaska in the United States. Much of the range is included in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve. The Wrangell Mountains are almost entirely volcanic in origin, and they i ...

and the

Chitina Valley Chitina ( Ahtna Athabascan Tsedi Na < ''tsedi'' "

copper

" + ''na'' "

Prior to that, their ancestors moved into the area of the Upper and Middle Susitna area about 7,000 years ago.

European contact

In 1781 the Russians made it to the mouth of the Copper River. Over the course of years, Russians would try to go up the river only to be pushed back by the Ahtna. In 1819 the Russians built a post at the confluence of the Copper and

Chitina River The Chitina River ( Ahtna Athabascan Tsedi Na’ < ''tsedi'' "

copper

" + ''na’'' "

s, which was destroyed.

Nineteenth and twentieth centuries

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. A US military expedition led by

Henry Tureman Allen Major General Henry Tureman Allen (April 13, 1859 – August 29, 1930) was a senior United States Army officer known for exploring the Copper River in Alaska in 1885 along with the Tanana and Koyukuk rivers by transversing of wilderness. His t ...

in 1885 explored the Copper River and surrounding area.

Historical regional bands and dialects and present day Native Villages

There are four main dialect divisions and eight historic regional bands (tribal unions): To take advantage of the

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971, constituting at the time the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve long-standing ...

(ANCSA) of 1971, the Ahtna formed

Ahtna, Incorporated Ahtna, Incorporated is one of thirteen Alaska Native Regional Corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) in settlement of aboriginal land claims. Ahtna, Incorporated was incorporated in Alaska on June 23, 197 ...

. The organization is a for-profit entity that oversees the land obtained under ANCSA (The Native Village of Chitina (Tsedi Ná) is organized by the

Chitina Native Corporation Chitina ( Ahtna Athabascan Tsedi Na < ''tsedi'' " copper" + ''na'' "

river ...

). 714,240 acres were allocated, consisting of eight villages: * Lower (Copper River) Ahtna or Atna Hwt'aene / Atnahwt'aene (″People of the Copper River, i.e. 'Atna' River″) ** Chitina (Tsedi Ná) / Taral (Taghaelden) Band - today: Native Village of Chitina (Tsedi Ná) (Athna: ″Copper River″. Population (2010 Census): 126; Current Population: 93 (Population Year: 2018)) ** Tonsina (Kentsii Cae'e or Kentsii Na‟) / Klutina (Tl‟atii Na‟) Band - today: Native Village of Kluti Kaah (Tl’aticae’e or Tl‟atii Na‟) (Athna: ″Mouth of Klutina River″ or ″Undercurrent River″, formerly the ''Native Village of Copper Center'', the village ''Tl’aticae’e (Copper Center)''. Population (2010 Census): 328; Current Population: 317 (Population Year: 2018)) * Central Ahtna or Middle Ahtna or Dan'ehwt'aene ** Gulkona (C‟ulc‟e Na‟) / Gakona (Ggax Kuna‟) Band - today: *** Nativa Village of Gulkana (C'uul C'ena') (Athna: ″tearing River″, the village ''C'uul C'ena' (Gulkana)''. Population (2010 Census): 119; Current Population: 113 (Population Year: 2018)) *** Native Village of Gakona (Ggax Kuna') (Athna: ″Rabbit River″; the village ''Ggax Kuna' (Gakona)''. Population (2010 Census): 218; Current Population: 203 (Population Year: 2018)) * Western Ahtna or Tsaay Hwt'aene / Dze Ta Hwt'aene (″People in the middle of the mountains, i.e.

Nutzotin Mountains The Nutzotin Mountains are a mountain range in Alaska, United States and Yukon, Canada. They have an area of 829 km2 and form a subrange of the Alaska Range at its southeastern end. The mountains are located within Wrangell–St. Elias Nati ...

″, sometimes known as ''Hwtsaay Hwt'aene / Hwtsaay hwt'aene'' - ″Small Tree People, Small Timber People″) ** Tyone (″chief″) / Mendeltna (Bendilna) Band - today: Native Village of Tazlina (Tezdlen Na') (Athna: ″swift water″, the village ''Tezdlen Na' (Tazlina)''. Population (2010 Census): 297; Current Population: 263 (Population Year: 2018)) ** Cantwell (Yidateni Na‟) / Denali (Dghelaayce‟e) Band - today: Native Village of Cantwell (Yidateni Na') (Athna: ″Jaw Trail Creek″, English name: Jack River. Population (2010 Census): 222) * Upper (Copper River) Ahtna or Tatl'a Hwt'aene / Taa’tl’aa Denaé (″Headwater People″) ** Sanford River (HwdinndiK‟ełt‟aeni) / Chistochina (Tsiistl‟edze‟ Na‟) Band - today:

Cheesh-Na Tribe The Ahtna (also Ahtena, Atna, Ahtna-kohtaene, or Copper River) are an Alaska Native Athabaskan people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. The people's homeland called Atna Nenn', is located in the Copper River area of southern A ...

(formerly the ''Native Village of Chistochina (Tsiis Tl’edze' Caegge)''; Cheesh-Na means ″blue ocher River″, the village ''Tsiis Tl’edze' Caegge (Chistochina)''. Population (2010 Census): 97; Current Population: 88 (Population Year: 2018)) ** Slana (Stl’aa Caegge) / Batzulnetas (Nataełde) Band - today: part of the ''Native Village of Mentasta (Mendaesde)'' ** Mentasta (Mendaesde) Band - today: Native Village of Mentasta (Mendaesde) (Athna: ″shallow lake″, the village ''Mendaesde (Mentasta Lake)''. Population (2010 Census): 112; Current Population: 128 (Population Year: 2018))

Culture

Governance

Architecture

In the summertime the Ahtna used temporary rectangular dwellings made of spruce and cottonwood. These structures had bark-covered sides and skin-covered entrances to provide access. In the wintertime, families lived in large semi-underground homes. As large as 10 feet wide by 36 feet long, these dwellings were constructed from wood and covered with spruce bark. Sometimes a second room was attached to be used for

sweating Perspiration, also known as sweating, is the production of fluids secreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals. Two types of sweat glands can be found in humans: eccrine glands and apocrine glands. The eccrine sweat glands are distri ...

rituals.

Family life

When traveling by water, moose-hide boats were used. In the wintertime,

snowshoes Snowshoes are specialized outdoor gear for walking over snow. Their large footprint spreads the user's weight out and allows them to travel largely on top of rather than through snow. Adjustable bindings attach them to appropriate winter footwe ...

and load-bearing

toboggans A toboggan is a simple sled traditionally used by children. It is also a traditional form of transport used by the Innu and Cree of northern Canada. In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill ...

were used. When traveling by foot and carrying goods, people, usually women, would use a

tumpline A tumpline () is a strap attached at both ends to a sack, backpack, or other luggage and used to carry the object by placing the strap over the top of the head. This utilizes the spine rather than the shoulders as standard backpack straps do. ...

. The tumpline was made of animal skin or cloth and was slung across the forehead or chest to support a heavy load on the back.

Subsistence

Traditionally the Ahtna hunted many different types of animals such as the moose,

caribou Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subsp ...

mountain sheep The argali (''Ovis ammon''), also known as the mountain sheep, is a wild sheep that roams the highlands of western East Asia, the Himalayas, Tibet, and the Altai Mountains. Description The name 'argali' is the Mongolian word for wild sheep. It ...

, and rabbits. Salmon was a staple, being caught with nets in rivers and streams. To support healthy prey populations, the Athna would monitor and reduce predator populations such as wolves, eagles and bears. For example, they would keep track of wolf dens in traditional hunting areas and by killing cubs. A central figure in their mythology, the Ahtna might prop up killed wolves and feed ceremonial meals to them. The Ahtna also gathered berries and roots.

Economy

The Ahtna were historically part of a trade network with other Athabaskans, the

Alutiiq The Alutiiq people (pronounced in English; from Promyshlenniki Russian Алеутъ, "Aleut"; plural often "Alutiit"), also called by their ancestral name ( or ; plural often "Sugpiat"), as well as Pacific Eskimo or Pacific Yupik, are a sout ...

, and the Tlingit. They would barter furs, hides and copper, and eventually manufactured European goods after encounters with the Europeans. Trade meetings would take place three times a year Nuchek on the Prince William Sound. The Ahata operate Ahtna, Inc., an

Alaska Native corporation The Alaska Native Regional Corporations were established in 1971 when the United States Congress passed the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) which settled land and financial claims made by the Alaska Natives and provided for the establis ...

founded in 1971. Ahata has provided services to

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the United States from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration th ...

at the

Port Isabel Detention Center The Port Isabel Service Processing Center near Los Fresnos, Texas holds detainees of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), whose immigration status or citizenship has not been officially determined or who are awaiting repatriation. It ...

since at least 2008. The contract will earn Ahtna Technical Services (ATS) at least $800 million.

References

External links

Official website
for the Ahtna Heritage Foundation
Copper River Native AssociationWrangell's 1839 Comparative Word-List of Alaskan languages
(includes Copper River Ahtna) * PARADISEC archiv
collection of Ahtna recordings
{{Authority control Ahtna