Our Land
Land Video
Places and Names
The history of Dena'ina territory and geography is embodied in their place names. Important sites—rivers, lakes, mountains, lookouts, campsites, creeks and ponds—all have Dena'ina names passed down from Elders to youth. These place names are an oral tradition, not a written tradition.
Place names tend to be hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, and are almost never named after people. To date, over two thousand Dena'ina place names have been documented through the work of linguist James Kari and other Dena'ina language experts.
A few important names are listed below. Audio clips accompany some of the place names, so you can hear the correct pronunciation of the names.
Inland Dialect
| Dena'ina | Listen | English | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| K'qizaghetnu Hdakaq' | Stony River village | 'distant river mouth' | |
| Htsit | Tishimna Lake site | 'lowland place' | |
| Hek'dichen Hdakaq' | Lime Village, mouth of Hungry Creek | 'abundance mouth" | |
| Qeghnilen (speaker: Pete Bobby) |
Canyon site | 'current flows through' | |
| Dilah Vena | Telaquana Lake village | '(fish) swim in-lake' | |
| Vałts'anaq' | Mulchatna villages | '? stream' | |
| Qizhjeh | Kijik Village | 'place people gathered on the run' | |
| Nuvendaltun, Nundaltin | Nondalton, Sixmile Lake | 'lake extends across' | |
| Łiq'a Qilanhtnu | Tlikakila River | 'stream where salmon are' |
Iliamna Dialect
| Dena'ina | Listen | English | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nughiltnu | Newhalen River | 'flows-down river' | |
| Nughilen | Newhalen | 'flows-down river' | |
| Chix Kaq' (speaker: Nick Kolyaha) |
Chekok | 'ochre mouth' | |
| Pedro Bay village | |||
| Nilavena (speaker: Walter Johnson) |
Iliamna Lake | 'islands lake' | |
| Tus Nuch'k'elyasht | Iliamna Portage to Cook Inlet | 'pass where we carry things back' | |
| Vighutiztin Hkayitaghi'u | Lonesome Bay village | 'trail along it bay' | |
| Tsayehtnu Hdakaq' | Pile Bay village | 'cave river mouth' | |
| Nuch'ak'dalitnu | Old Iliamna | 'things come out again river' |
Outer Inlet Dialect
| Dena'ina | Listen | English | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tikahtnu | Cook Inlet | 'big water river | |
| Yaghenen | Peninsula | 'good land' | |
| Kahtnu Betnu (speaker: Peter Kalifornsky) |
Kenai | 'river-mouth stream its stream' | |
| Shlakaq' | mouth of Slikok Creek (near Kenai Peninsula College) | 'little mouth' | |
| Chunuk'tnu | Russian River | 'beaver ? river' | |
| Tl'ubugh | Seward, Ressurection Bay area | 'back shore' | |
| Tałin Ch'iłtant | Polly Creek | 'where we found a whale' | |
| Qezdeghnen | Kustatan sites | 'point land' | |
| Ts'eslahtnu | Old Seldovia | ''rock fish run-stream' | |
| Angidahtnu | Seldovia | '? stream' | |
| Tsayehq'at | China Poot Bay village | 'place below rock' | |
| Ts'enghutnu ? | Soonroodna | 'bone fur stream' ? | |
| K'kaq' | Anchor Point site | 'river mouth' | |
| Nihnalchint | Ninilchik | 'lodge is built place' | |
| K'echan Dałkizt | Humpy Point village | 'grass is laying place' | |
| Ggasilat | Kasilof site | ||
| Unhghenesditnu | Kalifornsky | 'farthest creek over' | |
| Q'es Dudilent | Stepankas | 'current flows into outlet' | |
| Sqilant (speaker: Peter Kalifornsky) |
Kenai Lake site | 'ridge is there' | |
| Ch'anilnat | Chinila site | 'one moves out place' | |
| Shk'ituk't (speaker: Fedosia Sacaloff) |
Old Kenai site | 'where we slide down' | |
| Kahtnu | Kenai village | 'river mouth river' | |
| Ken Dech'etl't | Salamatov | 'scrub timber flat place' | |
| Tuqyankdat | Nikiski No. 1 | 'no good clearing' | |
| Dghezha Leht | Nikiski No. 3 | 'where needlefish run' | |
| Tiduqilts'ett | Titukilsk site | 'bad event place' | |
| Quqegh Nik'eteleht | Libby Creek site (Seven Egg Creek) | 'fish run up through place' |
Upper Inlet Dialect
| Dena'ina | Listen | English | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ch'elehtnu | Roberts Creek site | 'fish run-stream' | |
| Tubughnen | Old Tyonek sites | 'beach land' | |
| Tank'itnu | Second Tyonek | 'fish dock stream' | |
| Qaggeyshlat | New Tyonek | 'little place between toes' | |
| Ch'u'itnu Hdakaq' | Chuitt River site | '? river mouth' | |
| Tuqen Kaq' | Alexander Creek | 'clear water mouth' | |
| Tsat'ukeghet (speaker: Shem Pete) |
Susitna Station | 'beneath big rock place' | |
| Tanłtunt | Redshirt Lake site | 'enclosed object in water place' | |
| Tsuk Qayeh | Lower Yentna River site | 'old village' | |
| Bentalit (speaker: Shem Pete) |
Fish Lake sites | 'lake current place' | |
| Tiq'atl'ena | Hewitt Lake site | 'timbered area notch' | |
| Keshch'a Bena | Donkey Creek Lake | 'down feathers lake' | |
| Dashq'e (speaker: Shem Pete) |
Kroto Creek village | 'on the shoal' | |
| Qiduk'ggat | Montana Creek | 'overflows and freezes' | |
| Tsuk Qayeh | site opposite Sunshine Ck mouth | 'old village' | |
| K'dalkitnu | Talkeetna | 'food is stored river' | |
| Ch'aniltnu Hdakaq' | Chunilna Creek village | 'mouth of current flows out stream' | |
| Tatik'niłtun Bena | Stephan Lake village | 'mouth of current flows out stream' | |
| Tudli Bena | Nancy Lake village | 'cold water lake' | |
| K'enakatnu | Fish Creek village | '? stream' | |
| Nughay Bena | (New) Knik | 'frog lake' | |
| Łajat | Cottonwood Creek site | 'silt place' | |
| Benteh | Wasilla Lake sites | 'among the lakes' | |
| Nik'udatl'ech'a | Dinkle Lake site | 'dark color extends out' | |
| Tuhnaghiłkits | Bradley-Kepler Lakes site | 'extends in water fabric-like' | |
| Niteh | Old Knik, Matanuska | 'among the islands' | |
| Chidaq'atnu | Moose Creek | 'old lady's hole stream' | |
| Nuk'din'itnu | Chickaloon | 'bridge goes across-stream' | |
| Hutnaynut'i | Bodenberg Butte site | 'one that is shining' | |
| Skintuk'ełaha | Swan Lake village | 'fish run through brush' | |
| Eydlughet | Eklutna | 'by the plural objects' | |
| Tak'at | Cairn Point site | 'dipnet platform' | |
| Dgheyey Kaq' | Anchorage | 'mouth of needle fish' | |
| Nuch'ishtunt | Point Woronzoff site | 'wind protected' | |
| Ch'aghałnikt | Point Possession village | 'where fabric extends out' | |
| Idlu Bena | Eklutna Lake | 'Plural Objects Lake' | |
| Dgheyaytnu | Ship Creek, original Anchorage townsite | 'Stickleback Creek' | |
| Niłkidal'iy | Lake Spenard and Lake Hood | 'The Ones (Lakes) That Are Joined Together' | |
| Nutuł'iy | Fire Island | 'Object That Stands in the Water' | |
| Qin Cheghitnu | Campbell Creek | 'Crying Ridge Creek' | |
| Ch'atanhtnu | Matanuska River | 'River from Which Trail Comes Out' | |
| K'enaka Bena | Big Lake | ' -?- Lake' | |
| K'idazq'eni | Mount Spurr | 'That Which Is Burning Inside' | |
| Suyitnu (speaker: Shem Pete) |
Susitna River | 'Sand River' | |
| K'dalkitnu | Talkeetna River, Talkeetna townsite | 'Food Is Stored River' |
Source: Dena'ina Topical Dictionary by James Kari, and Dena'ina Placenames list, compiled by James Kari (1994).