Dena'ina

In conjunction with its newly revitalized cultural museum, the Kenai Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center hosted a presentation about the early history of Kenai. The lecture was a first in a new presentation series that goes beyond the museum’s rotating exhibits.

Last month, Kenai’s cultural museum was revamped after more than 30 years of no changes. It now has rotating exhibits – including this month’s on Alaska’s Russian history.

Kenai Peninsula College hosted a discussion last week about the history of salmon and the region’s Indigenous people. The presentation drew from archaeological, explorer and oral accounts to tell the story of the Dena’ina peoples’ connection to salmon in the nineteenth century.

The lessons will be held at the tribe’s K’beq’ Cultural Heritage Interpretive Site as part of its summer cultural program.

As part of its summer cultural program, the Kenaitze Indian Tribe held a presentation about the history and uses of the atlatl last Friday. Commonly known as a spear thrower, the technology was once used by the Dena’ina people for hunting.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District will host its second annual virtual Indigenous Language Film Festival this Thursday. Sixteen student-made films will highlight the Sugt’stun language and two dialects of the Dena’ina language.

Helen Dick learned the Dena'ina language growing up in Lime Village and has taught many members of the tribe in the decades since. The Kenaitze Indian Tribe and Kenai Peninsula College held a celebration for Dick this week.

Two short student films showcasing Dena’ina language learning are premiering today, as part of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s first-ever Indigenous language film festival.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough School District’s Title VI office is now accepting submissions for its first-ever Indigenous language film festival.

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe received a two-year Emergency Native Language grant from the American Rescue Plan Act to hold free Dena’ina language workshops for beginners. The series is part of a mosaic of language revitalization work from the Kenaitze Indian Tribe