A Community Shaped by Strength and Tradition
For centuries, the southern tip of Chenega Island was home to the Chenega people, whose name translates to “Beneath the Mountain.” In the 1700s, Russian trappers and explorers arrived in the region and introduced Christian Orthodox practices, which were embraced and woven into the spiritual life of the Chenega community.
Tragedy struck on March 27, 1964, when a powerful 9.2 magnitude earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami that destroyed the original village. The disaster claimed the lives of 26 villagers—more than one-third of the community—and forced the survivors to relocate to nearby areas, including Tatitlek, Cordova, and Anchorage.
In 1971, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) was signed into law, granting the original residents of Chenega title to over 70,000 acres of ancestral land in Prince William Sound. For two decades following the tsunami, the Chenega people remained without a permanent homeland.
That changed in 1984, when a group of original villagers and their descendants established a new community on Evans Island in Prince William Sound. This marked a powerful return to their cultural and geographic roots, reaffirming the Chenega people’s enduring resilience and deep connection to the land and waters of their ancestors.
