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Eyak

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eyak
Pre-contact distribution of Eyak
Regions with significant populations
Alaska,United States428[1]
Languages
English,Eyak(historical)
Religion
Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Tlingit,Ahtna,Chugach Sugpiaq

TheEyak(Eyak:ʔi·ya·ɢdəlahɢəyu·,literally "inhabitants of Eyak Village at Mile 6"[2]) are anAlaska Nativepeople historically located on theCopper River Deltaand near the town ofCordova, Alaska.Today, Eyak people live in Cordova, Yakutat, across Alaska, and the U.S.

Many Eyak descendants do not qualify to be tribal members in theNative Village of Eyak,a federally recognizedAlaska Native tribewhich was established through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. This is due to the enrollment qualifications that extend tribal citizenship only to those who reside in the town of Cordova for the majority of the year.

Territory

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The Eyak's territory reached from present-day Cordova east to theMartin Riverand north toMiles Glacier.

There were four main villages:

  • Alaganik, near Mile 21 of the present-day Copper River Highway
  • Eyak, located near Mile 5.5
  • unnamed, 800 yards south of Eyak
  • Orca, located within present-day Cordova

In addition to these villages the Eyak would seasonally occupy fish camps atPoint Whitshedand Mountain Slough.[3]

The now-common nameEyakfor both the ethnic group and its language is anexonymand comes from theSugt'stun (Alutiit'stun)dialect ofChugach Sugpiaq,a group ofSugpiaq( "real people," better known asAlutiiq) for an Eyak village asIgya'aq'at the mouth of the Eyak River.[4]

The Eyak refer to themselves asDAXunhyuu( "the people" ) and the present-day Eyak Native Village asIiyaaGdaad'( "at Eyak Native Village" ) – but the now officially recognized tribe asIiyaaGdAlahGAyuu( "People from Eyak Native Village" ), as the tribe consists of descendants of Chugach Sugpiaq, Eyak, and Tlingit.[5]

History

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The Eyak initially moved out of the interior down the Copper River to the coast. There they harvested the richsalmonfishing grounds. When the Russians arrived they recognized the Eyak as a distinct culture and described their territory on their maps. They also traded with the Eyak and sent themmissionaries.Because of their small population, they were often raided and their territory boundaries were under pressure from theChugachto the west. TheTlingiton the east side, had better relations with the Eyak leading to intermarriage and the assimilation of most Eyak. The Eyak's territorial boundary was pushed further contributing to the Eyak's decline. When the Americans arrived they openedcanneriesand competed with the Eyak for salmon. The integration andnovel diseaseswhich were introduced by non-Native settlers led to the further decline of the Eyak.

As populations decreased the remaining Eyak began to congregate near the village of Orca.[6]In 1880 the population of the village of Alaganik was recorded at 117 and by 1890 it had declined to 48.[7]In 1900 total population was estimated at 60. As more settlers arrived the last village became the town of Cordova. As of 1996, there were 120 partial Eyak descendants in the town.[6]The last full-blood Eyak,Marie Smith Jones,died on January 21, 2008.[8]

Language

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The Eyak spoke a distinct language closely related to theAthabaskan languages.Pressure from neighboring ethnic groups and the spread of English resulted in a decline of the Eyak language. Marie Smith Jones (1918–2008) was the last native speaker.Michael Krausswas known first and foremost as an Eyak language specialist.

Notable Eyak people

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References

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  1. ^Eyak Corporation
  2. ^Krauss, Michael E. 1970.Eyak dictionary.University of Alaska and Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1963–1970
  3. ^"Eyak Native History".Cordova Historical Society. Archived fromthe originalon 25 July 2011.Retrieved26 February2010.
  4. ^Michael E. Krauss 2006: A history of Eyak language documentation and study: Fredericæ de Laguna in Memoriam. Arctic Anthropology 43 (2):pages 172–217
  5. ^"Eyak Dictionary".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-11-30.Retrieved2021-11-02.
  6. ^abCampbell, L.J. (1996). "Native Cultures in Alaska".Alaska Geographic.23(2). Anchorage, Alaska: The Alaska Geographic Society: 70–73.ISSN0361-1353.
  7. ^Hodge, Frederick (1912).Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico: A-M.Government Print Office.RetrievedFebruary 25,2010.
  8. ^Holton, Gary (1 February 2010)."Overview of the Eyak Language".University of Alaska Fairbanks.Retrieved26 February2010.

Further reading

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  • Birket-Smith, K., & De Laguna, F. (1938).The Eyak Indians of the Copper River Delta, Alaska.København: Levin & Munksgaard, E. Munksgaard.
  • De Laguna, F. (1990). "Eyak." InHandbook of North American Indians, Vol. 7 Northwest Coast.W. Suttles, ed. Pp. 189–96. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
  • Harry, A. N., & Krauss, M. E. (1982).In honor of Eyak: The art of Anna Nelson Harry.Fairbanks, Alaska: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska.
  • Hund, Andrew. "Eyak." 2004. Encyclopedia of the Arctic. Taylor and Francis Publications.ISBN1-57958-436-5
  • Hund, Andrew. 2008. "’Old Man Dude’ and Eyak Shamanism" Alaska Historical Society ~ University of Alaska's Statehood Conference, Alaska Visionaries: Seekers, Leaders, and Dreamers. Anchorage, AK. Unpublished manuscript.
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