Chugach

This article is about the Chugach people. For other uses, see Chugach (disambiguation).

Chugach

Chugach man in traditional dress
Regions with significant populations
United States
Languages
Alutiiq (Chugach dialect), English
Related ethnic groups
Koniag Alutiiq, Yup'ik

Chugach ( /ˈtʃuːɡætʃ/) is the name of an Alaska Native culture and group of people in the region of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound. The Chugach people are an Alutiiq (Pacific Eskimo) people who speak the Chugach dialect of the Alutiiq language.

The Chugach people gave their name to Chugach National Forest, the Chugach Mountains, and Alaska's Chugach State Park, all located in or near the traditional range of the Chugach people in southcentral Alaska. Chugach Alaska Corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, also derives its name from the Chugach people, many of whom are shareholders of the corporation.

In 1964, a tsunami generated by the Good Friday Earthquake destroyed the Chugach village of Chenega, Alaska. The fishing-based Chugach economy was badly affected by the environmental damage caused by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

External links

• Chugach Alaska Corporation
• Chugach National Forest