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Chenega (;
Alutiiq The Alutiiq (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 Yupik ...
: ) is a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP) on Evans Island in the Chugach Census Area in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
. Located in
Prince William Sound Prince William Sound ( Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound off the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the ...
, the CDP consists of the Chugach
Alutiiq The Alutiiq (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 Yupik ...
village of Chenega Bay, which was established only after the Good Friday earthquake destroyed the original community on Chenega Island to the north. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 59, largely
Alaska Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tli ...
; as of 2021, the population of Chenega is estimated at 49. Chenega Bay is in the Chugach School District and has one school, Chenega Bay Community School, serving approximately 16 students from preschool through high school.


History


Original Chenega

The original village of Chenega, located on Chenega Island, was inhabited by the Chenega tribe, a subgroup of the Chugach
Alutiiq The Alutiiq (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 Yupik ...
. The name Chenega derives from "Beneath the Mountain". The village was a fishing village that was settled before Russian arrival in the area. A post office operated there from 1946 until the destruction of the town in 1964.


Destruction of Chenega

The original village of Chenega was destroyed in 1964 by a
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
from the Good Friday earthquake, which killed 26 residents, a third of the 68 people who lived there at the time, and leveled all the buildings in the town except for the school and a singular house. Immediately following the tsunami, survivors were taken to Cordova, and the
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...
later permanently resettled them at Tatitlek.


Construction of Chenega Bay

After the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law by U.S. President, President Richard Nixon on December 18, 1971, constituting what is still the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to reso ...
was passed, former residents of Chenega formed the Chenega
Corporation A corporation or body corporate is an individual or a group of people, such as an association or company, that has been authorized by the State (polity), state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law as ...
, which acquired the right to select 76,093 acres of land near the site of the old Chenega Village Township. In 1977, following research into the landscape and the needs of villagers, a new town location was chosen at Crab Bay on Evans Island. Following the acquisition of funding for infrastructure, the new village, named Chenega Bay, was first occupied in 1984. Former and current Chenega residents gathered each Good Friday to remember the dead of Chenega. On the 25th Good Friday after the earthquake, in 1989, the
oil tanker An oil tanker, also known as a petroleum tanker, is a ship designed for the bulk cargo, bulk transport of petroleum, oil or its products. There are two basic types of oil tankers: crude tankers and product tankers. Crude tankers move large quant ...
'' Exxon Valdez'' ran aground in Prince William Sound, causing an
oil spill An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into th ...
that again devastated Chenega and other places around the area economically.


Geography

Chenega is located at (60.066327, -148.010991). According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the CDP has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.17%) is water. The village location is isolated, only accessible by boat or by plane.


Demographics


Old Chenega (1880–1964)

The original Chenega, then located on the south end of Chenega Island at , first appeared on the 1880 U.S. Census as an unincorporated Sugpiaq village (all 80 residents were Sugpiaq/Alutiiq). It reported on the 1890 census as "Ingamatsha." 71 of the residents were Native Alaskans and 2 were " Creole" (mixed Russian/Caucasian and Native Alaskan). It returned in 1900 as Chenega. It did not appear on the 1910 & 1920 censuses. It appeared as "Chanega" in 1930 & 1940 and lastly as Chenega in 1950 and 1960. It was largely destroyed in the Good Friday Earthquake of 1964 and its residents relocated. The old village has not been reported on the census since. Some buildings remain as of 2019.


New Chenega (Chenega Bay) (1990–)

The new Chenega (or Chenega Bay) first appeared on the 1990 U.S. Census as a census-designated place (CDP). It was founded in 1982 by former residents from the Old Chenega and is located on the east side of Evans Island, named for the old village and island. As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 86 people, 22 households, and 17 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 27 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 22.09%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 73.26% Native American, and 4.65% from two or more races. Of the 22 households, 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 13.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.55 and the average family size was 3.83. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 33.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 132.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $53,750, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $75,938 versus $32,500 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the CDP was $13,382. There were 16.7% of families and 15.6% of the population living below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.


References


Chenega CDP, Alaska
United States Census Bureau {{Authority control Census-designated places in Alaska Census-designated places in Chugach Census Area, Alaska Census-designated places in Unorganized Borough, Alaska Populated coastal places in Alaska on the Pacific Ocean 1982 establishments in Alaska Populated places established in 1982 1964 disestablishments in Alaska Populated places disestablished in 1964 Populated places destroyed by earthquakes