These legends and stories of the people of the Chugach Region of southcentral Alaska comprise a collection that touches the heart and spirit as well as the mind. They illustrate traditional beliefs and situations of a unique group that blends Yupik Eskimo, Aleut, and several Indian groups (Athabascan, Tlingit) cultures. Republication of these stories helps foster and awareness and a sense of place critical to continued self-esteem and identity as a people. Their retelling serves many diverse purposes. They can guide us through the inevitable personal crises of a useful life and provide an opportunity for parents and grandparents to pass along language, culture, and personal values. Taken as history they can communicate not only actual events and life ways, but also the spiritual aspects of long-ago realities.

Archeological evidence shows that the Chugach people have survived and prospered for thousands of years. Oldest legends tell of the last ice age when glaciers largely covered Prince William Sound. Three major Alaska Native cultures - Eskimo, Indian, and Aleut-have inhabited the region. We do not know how long man has occupied the region but the archeological record infers a six-thousand-year history of habitation on Kodiak and Afognak islands.

Many of these stories came from a collection in Prince William Sound by the first Danish-American Alaska Expedition of 1933. Headed by the late Dr. Kaj Birket-Smith of the National Museum of Denmark, the author, and Dr. Frederica de Laguna of the University of Pennsylvania, results of their studies were published in 1953 as The Chugach Eskimo. The National Museum of Denmark and Dr. de Laguna graciously granted their permission for republication here, most identically to the original stories.

Dr. de Laguna and Birket-Smith recorded legends from three key sources:

How the Raven Brought Fire   

Chief Makari (Makarka) Feodorovich Chimovitski who was born in the village of Nuchek. His ancestry reflects the cultural diversity of the region – a grandmother from Kodiak Island, a great-grandfather from Yakutat, and a great-grandmother who was the daughter of a Chugach chief from Mummy Island near Cordova. Makari’s traditional name was Alingun Nupatlkertluqoq Angakhuna. His older brother (Peter) was the last chief to die at Nuchek. Makari possessed many of the spiritual powers which usually accompanied the position of chief. He could predict weather changes from observing animal behavior and once saw land otters with human faces. His daughter (Matrona) once saw dwarfs and people with pointed heads. Makari eventually became one of the chief storytellers and record keepers of the entire Prince William Sound area. He reported these stories at the age of 86.

The Mountain Goat Hunt in Sheep Bay

Paul Eliah Chimovitski, Makari’s brother, also participated as a storyteller. His Aleut name was Tyiktlun.

How the Different Villages Started in Prince William Sound

Stephan Britshalov, the third contributor, grew up in the village of Chenega. His Aleut name, Atlutaq, came from his great-grandfather who lived on Wooded Island. The elder Atlutaq was known as a great whaler and hunter. He would hunt brown bears with a club and chase foxes until they dropped from exhaustion. Other contributed stories to round out the geographic coverage of the Chugach Region Alaska. The following stories, virtually word for word as the narrators told them, are based both on prehistoric and historic events and beliefs. Elders of the region reviewed this compilation and expressed great joy at their resurrection and the memories they revive. The following are three stories taken from the book “Chugach Legends – Stories and Photographs of the Chugach Region.”