James Kari is an American linguist and Professor Emeritus with the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) specializing in the Dene (a.k.a. Athabascan languages ) of Alaska. He served on the faculty of UAF from 1973 to his retirement in 1997.
15-643: Mentasta can refer to: Ahtna people of Alaska Mentasta Mountains , Alaska Mentasta Pass , Mentasta Mountains Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Mentasta . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mentasta&oldid=1104900339 " Categories : Disambiguation pages Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
30-693: A tumpline . The tumpline was made of animal skin or cloth and was slung across the forehead or chest to support a heavy load on the back. Traditionally the Ahtna hunted many different types of animals such as the moose , caribou , mountain sheep , and rabbits. Salmon was a staple, being caught with nets in rivers and streams. To support healthy prey populations, the Athna would monitor and reduce predator populations such as wolves, eagles and bears. For example, they would keep track of wolf dens in traditional hunting areas and by killing cubs. A central figure in their mythology,
45-778: A 1991 compilation of his creative writings. In 2008 he organized the Dene–Yeniseian Symposium in Alaska. He was co-editor of The Dene–Yeniseian Connection , published in 2010. In 2009 Kari was selected for the Alaska Governor's Award for the Humanities. In March 2013 he received the Professional Achievement Award at the 40th annual meeting of the Alaska Anthropological Association. In 2019 he
60-539: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Ahtna people The Ahtna (also Ahtena , Atna , Ahtna-kohtaene, or Copper River ) are an Alaska Native Athabaskan people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group. The people's homeland called Atna Nenn' , is located in the Copper River area of southern Alaska, and the name Ahtna derives from
75-546: Is the author or editor of more than 200 publications, including more than 4000 pages of bilingual texts in seven Dene languages. He is the most prolific contributor to the Alaska Native Language Archive (with more than 1000 entries as of 2019). His special interest is Dene ethnogeography. Kari has compiled or documented more than 14,000 place names in fourteen Alaska or Canadian Dene languages. He worked with Dena'ina writer and ethnographer Peter Kalifornsky on
90-672: The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971, the Ahtna formed Ahtna, Incorporated . The organization is a for-profit entity that oversees the land obtained under ANCSA (The Native Village of Chitina (Tsedi Ná) is organized by the Chitina Native Corporation ). 714,240 acres were allocated, consisting of eight villages: In the summertime the Ahtna used temporary rectangular dwellings made of spruce and cottonwood . These structures had bark-covered sides and skin-covered entrances to provide access. In
105-804: The Prince William Sound . The Ahtna operate Ahtna, Inc., an Alaska Native corporation founded in 1971. Ahata has provided services to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Port Isabel Detention Center since at least 2008. The contract will earn Ahtna Technical Services (ATS) at least $ 800 million. James Kari For more than fifty years Kari has done extensive linguistic work in many Dene languages. These include Ahtna , Dena'ina , Koyukon , Deg Hit'an , Holikachuk , Lower Tanana , Middle Tanana , Tanacross , Upper Tanana , and Babine-Witsuwit'en . Kari continues to work on numerous Alaska Native language projects. He
120-755: The Russians made it to the mouth of the Copper River. Over the course of years, Russians would try to go up the river only to be pushed back by the Ahtna. In 1819 the Russians built a post at the confluence of the Copper and Chitina Rivers , which was destroyed. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867. A US military expedition led by Henry Tureman Allen in 1885 explored the Copper River and surrounding area. There are four main dialect divisions and eight historic regional bands (tribal unions): To take advantage of
135-561: The Yellowknives , are also referred to as Copper Indians. The Ahtna are an Athabaskan languages speaking tribe of the Subarctic cultural area , which classifies them as both Athabaskan and Subarctic Indians . Depending on the community's location along the Copper River, dialectal differences may occur. The Lower Ahtna (Ahtna'ht'aene) are near the river's mouth which opens into the Gulf of Alaska ,
150-641: The Ahtna People themselves published a noun dictionary of their language (The Ahtna Noun Dictionary of Pronunciation Guide: Ahtna Heritage Foundation/Ahtna, Inc., 1998, 2011 Revised). About 2,000 years ago the Ahtna people moved into the area of the Wrangell Mountains and the Chitina Valley . Prior to that, their ancestors moved into the area of the Upper and Middle Susitna area about 7,000 years ago. In 1781
165-484: The Ahtna have been called Copper Indians because of their ancestral homeland located in the basin of the Copper River and its tributaries in southeastern Alaska. The word for the Copper River in Ahtna is 'Atna' tuu" (tuu meaning water). Thus, "Ahtna" refers to the People of the 'Atna' River (i.e. The Copper River). The named Yellowknife has also been used in reference to the Ahtna's copper-colored knives; however, another tribe,
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#1732844165867180-566: The Ahtna might prop up killed wolves and feed ceremonial meals to them. The Ahtna also gathered berries and roots. The Ahtna were historically part of a trade network with other Athabaskans, the Alutiiq , and the Tlingit . They would barter furs, hides and copper, and eventually manufactured European goods after encounters with the Europeans. Trade meetings would take place three times a year at Nuchek on
195-558: The Middle Ahtna (Dan'ehwt'aene) are upriver a distance, and the Upper Ahtna (Tate'ahwt'aene) live on the upper parts of the river. The Tanaina people of the west are their closest linguistic relatives. About 80 Ahtnas are believed to still speak the Ahtna language . In 1990 a dictionary was published by university linguist James Kari , in order to preserve the language. Several years later,
210-570: The local name for the Copper River. The total population of Ahtna is estimated at around 1,427. Their neighbors are other Na-Dené-speaking and Yupik peoples : Dena'ina (west), Koyukon (a little part of northwest), Lower Tanana (north), Tanacross (north), Upper Tanana (northeast), Southern Tutchone (southeast, in Canada), Tlingit (southeast), Eyak (south), and Chugach Sugpiaq (south). The name Ahtena , also written as Ahtna and Atnatana , translates as "ice people." In some documentation
225-453: The wintertime, families lived in large semi-underground homes. As large as 10 feet wide by 36 feet long, these dwellings were constructed from wood and covered with spruce bark. Sometimes a second room was attached to be used for sweating rituals. When traveling by water, moose-hide boats were used. In the wintertime, snowshoes and load-bearing toboggans were used. When traveling by foot and carrying goods, people, usually women, would use
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