Yaghanen - The good land

Traditionally, Dena'ina territory stretched from the Kuskokwim River to Lake Clark and Lake Iliamna, and across the Alaska Range to the Cook Inlet, the Susitna Valley and the Kenai Peninsula. Our mountains are the tallest in North America, and our streams are home to some of the world’s most prolific fisheries. As a result of this heritage, the Kenaitze Dena’ina are one of the few Alaska Native groups to develop maritime, or seacoast adaptations—harvesting the rivers and oceans of the Kenai for traditional subsistence resources.

To ensure the continuance of their abundant resources, our Dena’ina ancestors’ believed in respect and reverence for all life. This fundamental belief has been passed down through generations, and is a value still embraced by members of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe.