Ahtna
The Ahtna are an Indigenous people from the Copper River region in Alaska, historically organized into Lower, Middle, and Upper autonomous bands. They had a stratified society with distinct roles for chiefs, nobles, commoners, and slaves, all operating within a matrilineal clan structure. Their subsistence strategy was diverse, primarily relying on fishing, hunting, trapping, and gathering, with fish as their main food source. The Ahtna engaged in extensive trade with neighboring groups and utilized potlatch ceremonies for social recognition and the redistribution of wealth.
The Ahtna first encountered Europeans in 1783 during Russian exploration, which led to significant changes in their society, including the introduction of diseases like smallpox. The American fur trade began in the late 19th century, coinciding with a gold rush that attracted many outsiders to the region. The presence of the U.S. military during World War II further influenced cultural shifts and economic changes, including a move toward a cash economy. Although some employment opportunities exist in tourism, many young Ahtna individuals leave their communities for job prospects in larger cities like Anchorage, while there is a rising number of college graduates among the youth.
Ahtna
Category: Tribe
Culture area: Subarctic
Language group: Athapaskan
Primary location: Copper River, Alaska
Population size: 101 (1990 U.S. Census)
The Ahtna were divided into Lower, Middle, and Upper autonomous bands, with a warlike stratified society of chiefs, nobles, commoners, and slaves organized into matrilineal clans and moieties. Their subsistence base was diversified with fishing, hunting, trapping, and gathering; their major food source was fish. They engaged in extensive trade with neighboring groups and distant Eskimo, and they utilized the potlatch to recognize status change, life crises, and for redistribution of traditional forms of wealth.
The first Ahtna-white contact was with Russian explorers in 1783, who established Copper Fort to protect fur-trading activities and who also introduced smallpox. The American fur trade began in 1876, and the 1898-1899 gold rush brought thousands of prospectors. Finally the military arrived in 1899 to explore the area and to protect the non-Indians, who had meanwhile introduced tuberculosis to the area.
The presence of the U.S. Army in Alaska during World War II intensified cultural change and the shift to a cash economy. Some employment is available through tourism, but most young people must leave to find employment in Anchorage. The number of college graduates among Ahtna youth is increasing.