Description
The Dena'ina, or formerly Tanaina, are the original inhabitants of the south central Alaska region ranging from Seldovia in the south to Chickaloon in the northeast, Talkeetna in the north, Lime Village in the northwest and Pedro Bay in the southwest. The name "Dena’ina" comes from two parts: dena meaning "person" and ina, the human plural marker in Dena’ina language means "the people". The Dena'ina homeland is more than 41,000 sq mi in area. They arrived in the south-central Alaska sometime between 1,000 and 1,500 years ago. They were the only Alaskan Athabaskan group to live on the coast.
Language
Athabaskan
Culture
The Dena'ina have a hunter-gatherer culture and a matrilineal system. Like other Northwest Coast Indians, the Tanaina traditionally subsisted mainly on salmon and other fish (as well as shellfish); they also hunted bears, mountain sheep and goats, moose, caribou, and other game for both skins and food. Their dwellings consisted of semisubterranean log-and-sod houses for winter use and a variety of casually built shelters for summer use during the salmon runs; the latter also served as smokehouses for drying the fish catch. For transportation they used the skin-covered kayak and umiak, as well as snowshoes and sleds. Tanaina society was organized on the basis of kinship and class.