Afognak
Encyclopedia
Afognak is an island
5 km (3.1 mi) north of Kodiak Island
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. It is 43 miles from east to west and 23 miles from north to south and has a land area of 1812.58 km² (699.8 sq mi), making it the 18th largest island in the United States. The coast is split by many long, narrow bays. The highest point is 2,546 feet.
The dense spruce forests of Afognak are home to brown bear
s, Roosevelt elk
and Sitka black-tailed deer
. Many people visit the island recreationally for hunting
and fishing
.
The United States Census
of 1890 noted a series of settlements along the beachline near the Alutiiq
village of Ag’waneq
(also called Afognak), including Rutkovsky village, inhabited by a group of retired employees of the Russian-American Company
.
Ag’waneq was abandoned after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake
devastated the island. The descendants of the Native
inhabitants of the island are officially recognized as the Native Village of Afognak
, most of whom live in Port Lions
or Kodiak
.
Today, there are a few small logging
camps and fishing lodges on the island, and a community of Russia
n Old Believers
at Aleneva
. The economy
is based on subsistence and logging. Transportation is provided by float plane from Kodiak to various areas around the island. The 2000 census
reported a population of 169 persons.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
5 km (3.1 mi) north of Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island
Kodiak Island is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It is 43 miles from east to west and 23 miles from north to south and has a land area of 1812.58 km² (699.8 sq mi), making it the 18th largest island in the United States. The coast is split by many long, narrow bays. The highest point is 2,546 feet.
The dense spruce forests of Afognak are home to brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
s, Roosevelt elk
Roosevelt elk
The Roosevelt elk , also known as Olympic elk, is the largest of the four surviving subspecies of elk in North America...
and Sitka black-tailed deer
Sitka Deer
The Sitka deer or Sitka black-tailed deer , is a subspecies of mule deer , and similar to another subspecies the black-tailed deer . Their name originates from Sitka, Alaska. Weighing in on average between , Sitka deer are characteristically smaller than other types of black-tailed deer...
. Many people visit the island recreationally for hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
History
United States Census
The United States Census is a decennial census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is enumerated every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats , electoral votes, and government program funding. The United States Census Bureau The United States Census...
of 1890 noted a series of settlements along the beachline near the Alutiiq
Alutiiq
The Alutiiq , also called Pacific Yupik or Sugpiaq, are a southern coastal people of the Native peoples of Alaska. Their language is called Sugstun, and it is one of Eskimo languages, belonging to the Yup’ik branch of these languages. They are not to be confused with the Aleuts, who live further...
village of Ag’waneq
Afognak, Alaska
Afognak was an Alutiiq village on the island of Afognak in Kodiak Island Borough, Alaska, United States. It was located on Afognak Bay on the southwest coast of the island, north of Kodiak Island.- History :...
(also called Afognak), including Rutkovsky village, inhabited by a group of retired employees of the Russian-American Company
Russian-American Company
The Russian-American Company was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the so-called Shelekhov-Golikov Company of Grigory Shelekhov and Ivan Larionovich Golikov The Russian-American Company (officially: Under His Imperial Majesty's Highest Protection (patronage)...
.
Ag’waneq was abandoned after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake
Good Friday Earthquake
The 1964 Alaska earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan Earthquake, the Portage Earthquake and the Good Friday Earthquake, was a megathrust earthquake that began at 5:36 P.M. AST on Good Friday, March 27, 1964...
devastated the island. The descendants of the Native
Alaska Natives
Alaska Natives are the indigenous peoples of Alaska. They include: Aleut, Inuit, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Eyak, and a number of Northern Athabaskan cultures.-History:In 1912 the Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded...
inhabitants of the island are officially recognized as the Native Village of Afognak
Native Village of Afognak
The Native Village of Afognak is a federally recognized Alutiiq Alaska Native tribal entity, originally native to the island of Afognak.- Earthquake and relocation :...
, most of whom live in Port Lions
Port Lions, Alaska
Port Lions is a city located on Kodiak Island in the Kodiak Island Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 256....
or Kodiak
Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak is one of 7 communities and the main city on Kodiak Island, Kodiak Island Borough, in the U.S. state of Alaska. All commercial transportation between the entire island and the outside world goes through this city either via ferryboat or airline...
.
Today, there are a few small logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
camps and fishing lodges on the island, and a community of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Old Believers
Old Believers
In the context of Russian Orthodox church history, the Old Believers separated after 1666 from the official Russian Orthodox Church as a protest against church reforms introduced by Patriarch Nikon between 1652–66...
at Aleneva
Aleneva, Alaska
Aleneva is a census-designated place in the Kodiak Island Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. As of the 2000 census, the population was 68.-Geography and climate:...
. The economy
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
is based on subsistence and logging. Transportation is provided by float plane from Kodiak to various areas around the island. The 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
reported a population of 169 persons.