Denaina Indians


The Dena’ina (formerly Tanaina) are an Alaska Native people and Athabaskan Native Americans in the United States.

They are the original inhabitants of the south central Alaska region ranging from Seldovia in the south to Chickaloon in the northeast, Talkeetna in the north, Lime Village in the Northwest and Pedro Bay in the Southwest.

The Dena’ina are the only Northern Athabascan group to live on saltwater and this allowed them to have the most sedentary lifestyle of all Northern Athabascans.

Their traditional language, Dena’ina, currently has about 70-75 fluent speakers out of a total population of about 1,400. Dena’ina is one of eleven Alaska Athabascan languages.

There are seven primary dialects of Dena’ina:

Inland
Iliamna
Upper Inlet
Outer Inlet
Kachemak Bay
Kenai
Susitna River