Holikachuk
Encyclopedia
Holikachuk are an Athabaskan people native to western Alaska
. Their native territory includes the area surrounding the middle and upper Innoko River
. Later in 1963 they moved to Grayling
on the Yukon River
.
The Holikachuk call themselves Doogh Hit’an (toʁhətʼan). The name Holikachuk is derived from the name (in the Holikachuk language
) of a village in native Holikachuk territory.
The Holikachuk have been neglected by anthropologists, resulting in little documentation (both published and unpublished). In the past they have erroneously (or out of convenience) been grouped with the Koyukon
.
The peoples neighboring the Holikachuk are in the north the Yupik (Eskimo) and Koyukon
, in the east the Koyukon, in the south the Kolchan, and in the west the Deg Hit'an.
Holikachuk culture is a distant relative to the Deg Hit'an culture.
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...
. Their native territory includes the area surrounding the middle and upper Innoko River
Innoko River
The Innoko River is a river in western Alaska. It flows north from its origin south of Cloudy Mountain in the Kuskoswim Mountains and then flows southwest to its end at the Yukon River, across from Holy Cross, Alaska....
. Later in 1963 they moved to Grayling
Grayling, Alaska
Grayling is a city in Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 194. Since 1977, the Athabaskan village has seen a surge of interest on odd-numbered years, when it is the site of a checkpoint during the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race...
on the 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...
.
The Holikachuk call themselves Doogh Hit’an (toʁhətʼan). The name Holikachuk is derived from the name (in the Holikachuk language
Holikachuk language
Holikachuk is a highly endangered Athabaskan language formerly spoken at the village of Holikachuk on the Innoko River in central Alaska. In 1962 residents of Holikachuk relocated to Grayling on the lower Yukon River. Holikachuk is intermediate between the Deg Xinag and Koyukon languages,...
) of a village in native Holikachuk territory.
The Holikachuk have been neglected by anthropologists, resulting in little documentation (both published and unpublished). In the past they have erroneously (or out of convenience) been grouped with the Koyukon
Koyukon
The Koyukon are a group of Athabaskan people living in northern Alaska. Their traditional home is along the Koyukuk and Yukon rivers where they subsisted by hunting and trapping for thousands of years...
.
The peoples neighboring the Holikachuk are in the north the Yupik (Eskimo) and Koyukon
Koyukon
The Koyukon are a group of Athabaskan people living in northern Alaska. Their traditional home is along the Koyukuk and Yukon rivers where they subsisted by hunting and trapping for thousands of years...
, in the east the Koyukon, in the south the Kolchan, and in the west the Deg Hit'an.
Holikachuk culture is a distant relative to the Deg Hit'an culture.
Further reading
- Snow, Jeanne H. (1981). Ingalik. In Subarctic (pp. 602–617). Handbook of North American Indians (W. C. Sturtevant, General Ed.) (Vol. 6). Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution.