The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe is a federally recognized Tlingit Alaska Native tribal entity.
Other federally recognized Tlingit tribes include the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes, the Douglas Indian Association, Skagway Village, the Organized Village of Kake, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, and the Wrangell Cooperative Association.
About The Yakutat Tlingit Tribe is headquartered in the borough of Yakutat. As of 2005, the tribe had 385 enrolled citizens. The word "Yakutat" comes from the Tlingit word "Yaakwdáat", which means "where canoes rest". The Yakutat Tlingit maintain aspects of traditional Tlingit culture with influences from the Eyak people.
Culture The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan displays some Yakutat Tlingit musical instruments, including a guitar and several lutes.
History The Yakutat Tlingit have historically occupied the southern portion of what is now the Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve near Icy Bay and Disenchantment Bay, the community of Yakutat, and the Malaspina Glacier and Forelands. The National Park Service has conducted ethnographic research detailing Yakutat Tlingit connections to Wrangell–St. Elias.
In the 21st century, the remains of eight Native American bodies have been repatriated to Kaguyak Village; six from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and one each from Princeton University and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Two remains and 50 funerary objects of interest to the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe have not been repatriated; the two remains are held by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
In 2023, the AgWest Farm Credit Services bank based in Spokane, Washington, sued the Alaska Native corporation based in Yakutat, Yak-Tat Kwaan Inc., seeking the repayment of $13.3 million in loans. The lawsuit has caused concerns in the tribe over the loss of their traditional lands.
Notable citizens Elaine Abraham, tribal elder and registered nurse.Dunham, Mike (May 18, 2016). "Elaine Abraham, ground-breaking Tlingit elder, dead at 87." Alaska Dispatch News. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
See also List of Alaska Native tribal entities
References
External links List of Federally Recognized Tribes in the Seaalaska Region , ANCSA Regional Association Under Mount Saint Elias: The History and Culture of the Yakutat Tlingit: Part One, Smithsonian Libraries and Archives