Tyonek

Tyonek, a Dena’ina Athabascan village whose people the Tebughna, which means “beach people”, are Dena’ina speaking Athabascans, with a rich culture of subsistence, song, dance, story telling, and religion that date back more than a thousand years

The Tebughna lived off the land and the sea, hunting and trapping, as well as fishing and whaling in Cook Inlet from home-built boats. In good years the vast lands surrounding the village were rich with fish, berries and wildlife. Salmon and moose were the two main staples.

The first recorded encounter between the Dena’ina and the Europeans occurred in May 1778 when the British navel vessels Resolution and Discovery, under the command of the famed Captain James Cook, anchored off West Foreland, near the Dena’ina villages of Qezdeghnen (Kustatan) and Tubughnenq’ (Tyonek).

Since then Tyonek has been involved in many changes of Alaska’s economy. Upon the discovery of gold at Resurrection Creek in the 1880′s Tyonek became a major disembarkment point for goods and people seeking their own fortunes in Alaska. At one point, Tyonek was one of the largest ports in Alaska. Large seagoing vessels refused to go past Tyonek because of what sailors called “The Cannon”, the powerful winds that sweep down Turnagain Arm.

In 1915, the Tyonek Reservation, also known as Moquawkie Indian Reservation, was established. The devastating influenza epidemic of 1918-19 left few survivors among the Athabascans. The village was moved to its present location atop a bluff when the old site near Tyonek Timber flooded in the early 1930s.

In 1965, the federal court ruled that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) had no right to lease Tyonek land for oil development without permission of the Tebughna people themselves. The tribe sold rights to drill for oil and gas beneath the reservation to a group of oil companies for $12.9 million.  With this money, the Tebughna built housing for the inhabitants of Tyonek, built a school for the youth of the village, built the tribal center, created a children’s trust for education, improved roads, expanded its airstrip and did much, much more for the benefit of Tebughna.

In 1968, Tyoneks’ leaders supported and helped fund the Alaska Federation of Natives, the group that spearheaded the final efforts that ultimately led to the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) on December 17, 1971.
From the beginning to present, Tyonek has withstood changes of the times and will continue with a bright future insured by the strength of the Tebughna.