Anvik Village is located in Interior Alaska on the Anvik River, just inside the old mouth of the Anvik River along the hillside. It is west of the Yukon River, 34 miles north of Holy Cross. Anvik has historically been an Ingalik Indian village.
Official Tribal Name: Anvik Village
Address: P.O. Box 10 Anvik, AK 99558
Email: skrugerde[email protected]
Recognition Status: Federally Recognized
Alaskan Ethnic Group: Indian
Alaskan Native Culture: Ingalik Athabascan
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Alaska Native Regional Corporation: Doyon, Limited
Alaska Village Corporation: Deloy ges Corporation
Alaska Native Association: Tanana Chiefs Conference
Tribal Council: Anvik Tribal Council (BTRP)
Language: Deg Xinag
Traditional Name / Traditional Meaning:
Deloy Ges is the Deg Xinag language name for the village of Anvik, Alaska, home to the Deg Hit’an people. More specifically, it refers to Anvik Hill, also called Hawk Bluff, the current site of the Anvik Airport.
It translates literally as ‘so-called mountain’ or ‘bum mountain.’
The traditional story, retold by elder Alta Jerue, says that one day, Yixgitsiy (also simply known as Raven) was walking along the Yukon River, when he saw a soil pile and decided to make a mountain. They say, every time he tried to climb it, the soil would slide down bringing him along.
After a short while, the frustrated Yixgitsiy got mad and whipped it up with his cane; that’s what made all the gulches in the hillside., the so-called mountain.
The Deg Xinag word for ‘raven’ translates as ‘your (everyone’s) grandfather’, as he is revered as the mythological village chief.
Alternate Names / Spellings: Hawk Bluff, Deloy Ges
Anvik is located in Interior Alaska on the Anvik River just inside the old mouth of the Anvik River along the hillside. It is west of the Yukon River, 34 miles north of Holy Cross.
Anvik has historically been an Ingalik Indian village. It has been known as American Station, Anvic, Anvick, Anvig, Anvig Station, and Anwig. The Russian Glazanov reported it as having100 people in 1834. Originally, it was on other side of the river to the northeast, at a place called “The Point.”
Residents gradually moved across the river with the establishment of an Episcopal mission and school in 1887. A post office opened in 1897.
After the flu epidemic of 1918-19 and another in 1927, many orphans became wards of the mission. Some children came from as far away as Fort Yukon.
Sternwheelers carried supplies to the village in the early 1920s. Some residents had contracts to cut wood for the sternwheeler’s fuel, and fish and furs were sold to traders. The early 1930s brought the first arrival of a plane on skis. The city was incorporated in 1969.
As of 2012, the population was 85. They are the Deg Hit’an people, also known at Ingalik Athabascan.
Climate and Topography:
The climate of Anvik is continental. Temperatures range from -60 to 87 °F. Total precipitation averages 21 inches per year, and snowfall averages 110 inches per year. The Yukon River is ice-free from June through October.
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Subsistence and home gardening are actively pursued by the local Ingalik Athabascan. Many families travel to fish camps during the summer.
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