Crow Village, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Crow Village is an unincorporated village
on the Kuskokwim River
in the U.S. state
of Alaska
. There are currently six residents. As of the 2010 census, it will become a Census Designated Place (CDP).
6.5 miles (10.5 km) by river west of Aniak
, just downstream from where the Crow Village Slough flows back into the Kuskokwim River. Crow Village is 86 miles (138.4 km) northeast of Bethel
.
Yup'ik population, which roughly translates as "Raven
Village People". It is widely believed to be named that after the boisterous raven population native to the nearby bluff. It has also been called Tulukagnag, Toolooka-anahamute, Tuluka and Tulukagangamiut by various explorers and historians; however it is currently referred to as Crow Village.
There are indications the Kuskokwim Eskimo
s (Kuskowagamiut) began migrating inland from the Bering Sea
up the Kuskokwim and Yukon River
s around 500 years ago. The first recorded history of Crow Village was in 1843 by Lt. Lavrenty Zagoskin
who was dispatched by the Russian Navy to conduct reconnaissance in the Alaska Interior
for potential forts and trading posts. He traveled to the Kuskokwim River traveling by boat to Bristol Bay
, then portaging across several rivers and entering the Kuskokwim through the headwaters of the Hoholitna. He described the village at that time as one of the two main villages on the Kuskokwim with a year-round population of approximately 100. This village moved up and down the bank with changes in the river's course and appeared in the 1880 census
which was the first census
accounting for Alaska population following the Alaska Purchase
in 1867. That census was completed by Ivan Petrof
and listed Crow Village as Toolooka-anahamute with a population of 59.
Around 1910, Crow Village was moved about 0.5 mile (800 m) downstream due to a change in the river sediment pattern. This settlement was also referred to as New Crow Village. Crow Village Sam
(Phillips), a future leader of the area's native people, was a youngster at that time and participated in that move. By the 1950s, Crow Village Sam was firmly entrenched as the area's leader. In 1954 he decided the village had to be vacated to stem ongoing issues with epidemics, possibly from lack of knowledge that the epidemics were likely caused by increased contact with white settlers and not directly related to the village itself. He moved the inhabitants upriver 18 miles (29 km) to Chuathbaluk
, a village that had been abandoned since 1929.
recovered some bone material from Old Crow Village in 1930 and reportedly took some pictures. In 1953, archaeologist Wendell H. Oswalt collected tree ring samples at New Crow Village. He would return for a three week study in 1954 with James Van Stone and again in 1963 for the entire summer. The 1963 dig was the most extensive as they researched 5 dwellings in Old Crow Village and interviewed area natives including Crow Village Sam as part of their research into the cultural history of the area. The findings can be found in the book entitled "The Ethnoarchaeology of Crow Village, Alaska" . This project pioneered the use of archeology as a means to augment oral and written sources in constructing a historical ethnography of a Native people.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
of 1971 resulted in Crow Village Sam receiving ownership of the land encompassing Crow Village. This claim was later inherited by his grandson, David Phillips, who re-settled Crow Village with his family in 1994.
Later David's eldest son, Dakota River Phillips, found the motor of Crow Village Sam's old wind power generator. His other children, Raven Myst Phillips and Storm Hudson Phillips, found other artifacts like an old reindeer bell.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
on the Kuskokwim River
Kuskokwim River
The Kuskokwim River or Kusko River is a river, long, in Southwest Alaska in the United States. It is the ninth largest river in the United States by average discharge volume at its mouth and seventeenth largest by basin drainage area.The river provides the principal drainage for an area of the...
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...
. There are currently six residents. As of the 2010 census, it will become a Census Designated Place (CDP).
Geography
Crow Village is located in the Bethel Census Area on the north bank of the Kuskokwim RiverKuskokwim River
The Kuskokwim River or Kusko River is a river, long, in Southwest Alaska in the United States. It is the ninth largest river in the United States by average discharge volume at its mouth and seventeenth largest by basin drainage area.The river provides the principal drainage for an area of the...
6.5 miles (10.5 km) by river west of Aniak
Aniak, Alaska
Aniak is a city in the Bethel Census Area in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 572.-Geography: ....
, just downstream from where the Crow Village Slough flows back into the Kuskokwim River. Crow Village is 86 miles (138.4 km) northeast of Bethel
Bethel, Alaska
Bethel is a city located near the west coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, west of Anchorage. Accessible only by air and river, Bethel is the main port on the Kuskokwim River and is an administrative and transportation hub for the 56 villages in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.Bethel is the largest...
.
History
Crow Village was originally called Tulukaghogamiut by the nativeAlaska 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...
Yup'ik population, which roughly translates as "Raven
Raven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
Village People". It is widely believed to be named that after the boisterous raven population native to the nearby bluff. It has also been called Tulukagnag, Toolooka-anahamute, Tuluka and Tulukagangamiut by various explorers and historians; however it is currently referred to as Crow Village.
Eskimo
Eskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
s (Kuskowagamiut) began migrating inland from the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
up the Kuskokwim and Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
s around 500 years ago. The first recorded history of Crow Village was in 1843 by Lt. Lavrenty Zagoskin
Lavrenty Zagoskin
Lavrenty Alekseyevich Zagoskin was a Russian naval officer and explorer of Alaska.Zagoskin was born in 1808 in the Russian district of Penza in a village named Nikolayevka. Even though Nikolayevka was not near the ocean, Zagoskin would eventually train for the Russian Navy and served as a naval...
who was dispatched by the Russian Navy to conduct reconnaissance in the Alaska Interior
Alaska Interior
The Alaska Interior covers most of the U.S. state's territory. It is largely wilderness. Mountains include Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range, the Wrangell Mountains, and the Ray Mountains....
for potential forts and trading posts. He traveled to the Kuskokwim River traveling by boat to Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
, then portaging across several rivers and entering the Kuskokwim through the headwaters of the Hoholitna. He described the village at that time as one of the two main villages on the Kuskokwim with a year-round population of approximately 100. This village moved up and down the bank with changes in the river's course and appeared in the 1880 census
United States Census, 1880
The United States Census of 1880 was the tenth United States Census conducted by the Census Bureau during June 1880. It was the first time that women were permitted to be enumerators...
which was the first census
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...
accounting for Alaska population following the Alaska Purchase
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
in 1867. That census was completed by Ivan Petrof
Ivan Petrof (explorer)
Ivan Petrof was a soldier, writer, and translator who for many years was regarded a a major authority on Alaska. According to historian Terrence Cole, Petrof "holds the distinction of probably telling more lies about Alaska that were believed for more years than any other person in...
and listed Crow Village as Toolooka-anahamute with a population of 59.
Around 1910, Crow Village was moved about 0.5 mile (800 m) downstream due to a change in the river sediment pattern. This settlement was also referred to as New Crow Village. Crow Village Sam
Crow Village Sam
Crow Village Sam 1893-1974 was a Yup'ik Eskimo native who lived in the mid Kuskokwim River valley in Alaska.Crow Village Sam was born around 1893 in Crow Village, Alaska. Birth records in the area were not maintained until 1914, so that date is based on Crow Village Sam's recollection as told to...
(Phillips), a future leader of the area's native people, was a youngster at that time and participated in that move. By the 1950s, Crow Village Sam was firmly entrenched as the area's leader. In 1954 he decided the village had to be vacated to stem ongoing issues with epidemics, possibly from lack of knowledge that the epidemics were likely caused by increased contact with white settlers and not directly related to the village itself. He moved the inhabitants upriver 18 miles (29 km) to Chuathbaluk
Chuathbaluk, Alaska
Chuathbaluk is a city in Bethel Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 119.-Geography:Chuathbaluk is located at ....
, a village that had been abandoned since 1929.
Archeology
Given the length of occupancy of Crow Village by the native population, the site has had several archaeological digs. Archaeologist Aleš HrdličkaAleš Hrdlicka
Aleš Hrdlička or Ales Hrdlicka was a Czech anthropologist who lived in the United States after his family had moved there in 1881...
recovered some bone material from Old Crow Village in 1930 and reportedly took some pictures. In 1953, archaeologist Wendell H. Oswalt collected tree ring samples at New Crow Village. He would return for a three week study in 1954 with James Van Stone and again in 1963 for the entire summer. The 1963 dig was the most extensive as they researched 5 dwellings in Old Crow Village and interviewed area natives including Crow Village Sam as part of their research into the cultural history of the area. The findings can be found in the book entitled "The Ethnoarchaeology of Crow Village, Alaska" . This project pioneered the use of archeology as a means to augment oral and written sources in constructing a historical ethnography of a Native people.
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, commonly abbreviated ANCSA, was signed into law by President Richard M. Nixon on December 23, 1971, the largest land claims settlement in United States history. ANCSA was intended to resolve the long-standing issues surrounding aboriginal land claims in...
of 1971 resulted in Crow Village Sam receiving ownership of the land encompassing Crow Village. This claim was later inherited by his grandson, David Phillips, who re-settled Crow Village with his family in 1994.
Later David's eldest son, Dakota River Phillips, found the motor of Crow Village Sam's old wind power generator. His other children, Raven Myst Phillips and Storm Hudson Phillips, found other artifacts like an old reindeer bell.