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The
Village of Kiniklik Returned to the Chugach People Kiniklik is located in the north central portion of Prince William Sound. The lands transferred include numerous historic graves of our Chugach ancestors and significant religious ruins of a Russian Orthodox Church. In the 1880's the U.S. census for Kiniklik showed a population of 54. In 1914 and 1918 the village was ravaged by a deadly flu epidemic and the survivors moved to other villages such as Tatitlek, Chenega, Nuchek and Makarka Point. The only shaman at Kiniklik was Katla, who was married to a woman named Akakutak. The transfer of the land to Chugach Alaska Corporation was made possible by federal legislation championed by Alaska’s Representative Don Young and Senator Frank Murkowski, both advocates of rights of Alaska Native Corporations to own and control lands of cultural significance to their people. “Congress intended culturally significant lands such as those at Kiniklik to be conveyed to the Native-owned Regional Corporations,” said Alaska’s Congressman Don Young. “It is unfortunate that both litigation and congressional action was required to compel the federal agency to do the right thing,” said Murkowski. According to Chugach Chairman Sheri Buretta, “The Corporation appreciates the support given by the Forest Service for this bill. Nevertheless, our difficulty in acquiring this incredibly significant cultural resource highlights the larger problem of adequately acknowledging and protecting Native rights and historical resources in the Chugach Region.” Chugach Alaska obtained a portion of the Kiniklik Village site in 1995, from the federal Bureau of Land Management under promises made under section 14(h)(1) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. This Congressional Act gives Alaska Native Regional Corporations the right to select (regain ownership of) historic and prehistoric sites located within their regions. Around the same time, the Chugach National Forest Service purchased the remainder of the site from the Russian Orthodox Church, using funding provided by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. Chugach unsuccessfully challenged the Forest Service’s purchase in federal court, arguing that federal law required the Forest Service to consult with Chugach before purchasing the religious properties from the Church. Legislation authorizing the transfer from Chugach was enacted while appeal of the case was pending in the Ninth Circuit Court. Chugach
Alaska’s Cultural Resources Manager, John F. C. Johnson, says
acquisition of the land from the Forest Service will allow the entire
village site to be managed as a unitary complex in accordance with
the Corporation’s Cultural Resources Program. It will also
allow the Corporation to turn its attention to other cultural issues
impacting the Chugach region. “Pursuant to the Settlement Act,
we have applied for several hundred historic sites within our region
and so far the federal government has conveyed only 8 sites totaling
38 acres,” said Johnson. “It is ironic that the Forest
Service used oil spill money to buy historic graves and church ruins
of Kiniklik (even if the area was not directly impacted by the oil
spill), since the oil spill and the clean up that followed posed
the greatest threat to Native archeological resources in Prince
William Sound. We hope the cooperation over the Kiniklik Village
site will be an important step in the federal government’s
acknowledging the role of the Chugach Native people in regaining
title and protecting the Native cultural and historical resources
in our region.” Contact: John Johnson, Chugach Alaska Corporation, Cultural Resources Manager at 261-0355 if you have any questions. |
