
Pre-contact distribution of Ahtna (in red) and neighboring peoples (go to image link for names)
The 'Ahtna' (trans. ''ice people'') (also 'Ahtena', 'Atna', Ahtna-khotana, or 'Copper River') are one of the tribes of
Athabaskan people in
Alaska. Their
language, also called
Ahtna, is facing extinction. The tribe's homeland is located in the
Copper River area of southern Alaska.
The Ahtna were known to the
Tlingit through
Eyak intermediaries; the Tlingit called them the ''Ikhka Khwáan'' meaning roughly "copper digging people". They were the source of nearly all
native copper traded along the Northwest Coast during precontact times.
See also
★
Ahtna, Incorporated, the
Alaska Native Regional Corporation representing the Copper River Native Association.
★
Native Village of Kluti Kaah
External links
★
Copper River Native Association
★
Ahtna, Incorporated