Putting Up Fish

I set the net in the water. A fish swam in to me. I took it out. And I cut it and made it into strips. I made balik¹. I put it in brine for two hours. Then I kept a fire of birch and cottonwoods under it. I did that for nine days, then I took it down, and I bundled it. And then I put it in the cache. Then it's for winter.

Łuq'a Ch'k'ezdelghayi

Tahbił tanełkiz. Łuq’a shegh dighelagh, Dich’anełtan. Ch’u ghest’uts’ ch’u nunghestseq’. Balik¹ zełchin. Nutin’at nutiha tsiq’ tughełu. Tethdi chuq’eya ch’u esni eł bet’uh idghełq’en. Łq’ich’idi jani yethdi nunghełu. Ch’u nanłghal. Ch’u dghaznigi yidgheshchet. Yethdi heyi niłtu.

¹Balik are smoked strips of salmon. The Dena'ina borrowed this work from Yakut, a Turkic language of Siberia. In Yakut, balik means "fish."

Taken from The Collected Writings of Peter Kalifornsky, A Dena'ina Legacy.

Introduction to Kenaitze Indian Tribe's Cultural & Educational Fishery

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe's Educational Fishery began operation on June 15, 1989 through a consent preliminary injunction from the State of Alaska. This permit was a compromise between the Tribe and the State of Alaska after the Kenaitze Indian Tribe was denied a subsistence fishery in the Federal court based on a non-rural determination. We now apply to the State of Alaska each year for an Educational Fishery Permit and are mandated by state regulations to provide an Educational Fishery for our Tribal members. A curriculum has been established to teach and preserve the cultural and traditional subsistence way of life established by the early Dena'ina. Teaching these customs to our youth not only ensures that our traditional lifestyle will be preserved, but also strengthens and instills Tribal identity and pride in our heritage.

An Educational Fishery Plan has been implemented by the Tribal Council which states:

"Kenaitze Indian Tribal Members and their families as well as Salamatof Tribal Members and their families will participate in the fishery. Each year the fishery has grown in terms of numbers of participants. This number includes Tribal Elders and youth from every family enrolled in the Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Salamatof Tribal Council. In addition, the Tribe will share its net harvest with other Alaska Natives, service agencies, and individuals in need."

Sharing was and still is an important part of Kenaitze life. The Kenaitze Indian Tribe has, since 1989, shared our net harvest with other service organizations such as Women's Resource and Crisis Center and the Community Care Center. We also donate salmon to the Wildwood Correctional Center for their Cultural activities each year. Salmon is donated to the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's Food Bank for Tribal Members and other Alaska Natives and American Indians who are in need during the year.

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe hosts other Alaska Native organizations at our net each summer. Southcentral Foundation brings their cultural camps (RAISE Program), Elders Council, and Quayana Clubhouse to our net each summer. Each of these groups is grateful for the opportunity to share in our culture and to practice their own traditional lifestyle. We also host many guests at our fishery who are leaders in the Alaska Native community, and cultural groups such as the Maori People from New Zealand. Additionally, Kenaitze staff days are offered to give our staff an opportunity to share and learn about the Kenaitze Indian Tribe's culture and traditions. Some of our Kenaitze Program Directors schedule days at the net for clients, and other Program Directors have developed Educational Camps at the fishery (Environmental, Head Start, etc.) The Fishery Curriculum developed by our Tribal Council includes Fish Camps for our youth as a way of teaching our youth about the Dena'ina culture.

The Southcentral Foundation makes a donation to the Tribe each year in office furniture, sealer bags, a new 4-wheeler, etc. The fish that they take are smoked and used for the annual ClRl meetings and cultural events. This is all done in the spirit of sharing.