Anchorage Daily News

EYAK

POPULATION: 137 (2007)

LOCATION: On the Copper River Highway, 5.5 miles southeast of the Cordova city center, on the Malaspina Coastal Plain.

DESCRIPTION: Both a federally recognized Eyak Athabascan village entity within the city of Cordova and a geographical "traditional use" area where less than 10 percent of the population is wholly or partly Alaska Native. Villagers are working together to protect their traditional lands along the Copper River Delta and to revive cultural traditions. Commercial fishing and subsistence activities are central to the community's culture. During the April 2000 U.S. Census, 70 residents were employed and 12 percent of residents were living below the official U.S. poverty level.

HISTORY: Eyak was first reported in 1869 as "Hyacks," an Alutiiq village, and then in 1880 as "Ihiak." In 1899, Lt. Comdr. Moser, USN, reported it as a cannery called "Odiak." The area is the home of the Eyak; over 47 sites from Yakutat to the Copper River Delta have been identified as Eyak-occupied. Eyak is a distinct language, a branch of the Athabascan-Eyak-Tlingit language family.

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