Indigenous Peoples of Alaska

Learn about the indigenous people Alaska, information on the Tribes and bands that live in the state, list of agencies, and links to records.

Alaska is from an Aleut word, "alaxsxaq," meaning "great land" or "that which the sea breaks against".

Native American affairs in Alaska were supervised by the Office of Education, Alaska Division, until 1931. In that year, the Office of Indian Affairs (soon to become the Bureau of Indian Affairs) took over the responsibilities of overseeing the relationship between Alaskan natives and the federal government.

To learn how to get started with United States indigenous peoples research, find research facilities, and American Indian websites click here.

Online Resources

 * 1919-1972 at FamilySearch — How to Use this Collection; index & images

Tribes and Bands of Alaska
The entire state of Alaska falls under the jurisdiction of the Alaska Region, with the small exception of the Annette Island Reserve, which falls under the Northwest Region. More than 180,000 Tribal members make up the 229 Federally Recognized Tribes under the jurisdiction of the Alaska Regional Office - from Ketchikan in the Southeast Panhandle to Barrow on the Arctic Ocean and from Eagle on the Yukon Territory border to Atka in the Aleutian Chain.

The following list of American Indians who have lived in Alaska has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.

Ahtena, Aleut, Alutiiq, Athapascan, Dihai-Kutchin, Eskimo, Haida, Han, Ingalik, Inuit, Inupiat, Koyukon, Kutchin, Nabesna, Niska, Natsit-Kutchin, Tanaina, Tenana, Tennuth-Kutchin, Tlingit, Tranjik-Kutchin, Tsimposhian, Tsimshian, Unangan, Vunta-Kutchin, Yup'ik

US Department of the Interior Indian Affairs Alaska Region - Tribes Served

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affair
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

The following list of agencies that have operated or now exist in Alaska has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Anchorage Agency
 * Alaska Agency (5 April 1873- 24 May 1874, Fredrick S. Hall, agent)
 * Bethel Agency
 * Fairbanks Agency
 * Juneau Agency
 * Metlakatla F.O., P.O. Box 458, Metlakatla Field Station, Metlakatla, AK 99926
 * Nome Agency
 * Southeast Agency, Fairbanks

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:
 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Family History Library
For a complete list of records search the FamilySearch Catalog by Tribe and Locality (state and county)


 * Records of Alaska Division of Bureau of Indian Affairs 1887-1933.

Indian Schools
The Office of Indian Affairs (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs) established a network of schools throughout the United States, beginning with Carlisle Indian School, established in 1879. Some of these schools were day schools, usually focusing on Indian children of a single tribe or reservation. Some were boarding schools which served indigenous children from a number of tribes and reservations.

In addition, other groups such as various church denominations established schools specifically focusing on American Indian children. (read more...)

The following list of Indian Schools in Alaska has been compiled from Hill's Office of Indian Affairs..., Hill's Guide to Records in the National Archives Relating to American Indians , and others.


 * Mount Edgecombe Boarding School 1941-1983 (records National Archives at Seattle)
 * Wrangell Institute 1956-1975 (records National Archives at Seattle)

Many school records are included in the agency records.

In 1950, an estimated 2950 Alaska Native students attended the territorial schools. Another 4200 Native students attended one of the approximately 100 community day schools provided and manned by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Finally, government-run boarding schools accounted for nearly 1000 more Native students in elementary and high school grades. Perhaps 2000 school-age Native children attended no school.

Juneau Agency school records 1927-1952. United States. Bureau of Indian Affairs,


 * Mt. Edgcumbe, near Sitka, a high school age boarding school.
 * White Mountain, 90 miles east of Nome, another high school age boarding school.
 * Wrangell Institute, in southeast Alaska,an elementary age boarding school, with about 200 pupils.

Reservations
From the mid-1800s, the official policy of the United States government toward the American Indian was to confine each tribe to a specific parcel of land called a reservation. Agencies were established on or near each reservation. A government representative, usually called an agent (or superintendent) was assigned to each agency. Their duties included maintaining the peace, making payments to the Native Americans based on the stipulations of the treaties with each tribe, and providing a means of communication between the native population and the federal government.

Sometimes, a single agency had jurisdiction over more than one reservation. And sometimes, if the tribal population and land area required it, an agency may have included sub-agencies.

The boundaries of reservations, over time, have changed. Usually, that means the reservations have been reduced in size. Sometimes, especially during the later policy of "termination," the official status of reservations was ended altogether.

The following list of reservations has been compiled from the National Atlas of the United States of America, the Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America , and other sources. The reservation named in bold is a current federally-recognized reservation, with its associated agency and tribe. Others have historically been associated with the state or are not currently recognized by the federal government.


 * Annette Islands Reservation; Federal, under the jurisdiction of Metlakatla Field Office, Tribes: Tsimposhian
 * Craig Reservation: State, under the jurisdiction of Prince of Wales Island, Tribe: Tlingit
 * Hoonah Reservation: State, under the jurisdiction of Chichagof Island, Tribe: Tlingit
 * Hydaburg Reservation: State, under the jurisdiction of Prince of Wales Island, Tribe: Haida
 * Kake Reservation: State, under the jurisdiction of Kupreanof Island, Tribe: Tlingit
 * Klawock Reservation: State, under the jurisdiction of Prince of Wales Island, Tribe: Tlingit

Reservation Map - Alaska-Indian Reservations - Federal Lands and Indian Reservations. by the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.

National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is responsible for the preservation of the records of historical importance created by federal offices in the United States of America, including those of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessor, the Office of Indian Affairs. (Read more...)

Regional Archives
Many of the Regional Archives have collected records of the federal offices in their region, including those of the field jurisdictions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Some of the field jurisdictions are the superintendencies, agencies, schools, factories and area offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Pacific Alaska Regional Archives (NARA) in Seattle has jurisdiction for the preservation of the records of federal offices in Alaska, including those of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

(Read more...)

Websites

 * Alaska - Church for missions
 * Alaska History for a calendar of events
 * Alaska Military Records for a list of forts
 * Alaska Native Communities Guide