Ahtna
Ahtna Athabascan is the language of the Copper River and the upper Susitna and Nenana drainages in eight communities. The total population is about is about 500 with perhaps 80 speakers.
The first extensive linguistic work on Ahtna was begun in 1973 by James Kari, who
published a comprehensive dictionary of the language in 1990.
Common Expressions
| thank you | tsin'aen |
| Merry Christmas | C'ehwggelnen Dzaen |
| my friend | slatsiin |
Dog Names
The words below are taken from the Ahtna Noun Dictionary, compiled by Mildred Buck and James Kari.
| deniigi | moose |
| genen | shaman |
| kaskae | chief |
| saghani | raven |
| sesi | snow |
| sos | bear |
| tikaani | wolf |
| yakone' | red aurora |
Links and Resources
Learn More:
Alaska is home to at least twenty distinct indigenous languages. More than just dialectal variants, these different languages reflect the diverse cultural heritage of Alaska's Native peoples. For more information about particular languages, click below.