Simeoneblog: Gulkana to Batzulnetas

Gulkana River to Batzulnetas

Cottonwood buds had begun to open, but Allen noted that the salmon wouldn’t arrive until the buds were entirely open and the leaves had begun to appear. Ice was still floating in the river and water temperature was 43 degrees. The party was depressed, they did not know what lay ahead and had been wearied by the hardships of traveling up stream, and the scarcity of food. During the day the skin boat got stuck on a rock in the middle of the river, the dogs were thrown out but luckily all of the gear remained safe and dry. Runners from Conaquanta’s camp brought moose meat to trade.

They passed the mouth of the Gulkana River called C’ulc’e Cae’e or ‘tearing river’ in the Ahtna language. The Gulkana has three forks: the east fork has its source in Summit Lake, which at times can become glacial from the melting ice of Gulkana Glacier. The Middle Fork drains a considerable area of marshland and has its head in Dickey Lake. Like the Middle Fork, the West Fork of the Gulkana River drains a large area of swampland and has its head in a divide separating the Copper and Susitna River drainages. The Gulkana River is an important spawning ground for sockeye and Chinook salmon.

Traveling required crossing and re-crossing river channels which caused problems with circulation and Allen complained of having to constantly get up at night to urinate. On May 20 it was still freezing at night but the geese had begun to lay eggs that the party occasionally harvested. They passed the mouth of the Gakona River and Allen noted that the volume of water in the main channel of the river above diminished. In the Ahtna language the Gakona is called Ggax Kuna’ or ‘rabbit river.’ Few salmon migrate up the Gakona that terminates in the Gakona glacier high in the Alaska Range.

Since passing the mouth of the Tazlina, food was even scarcer and Allen commented he never encountered such destitution and hunger. All the Ahtna they met were hungry and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the salmon. Several times the party attempted to hunt large game but was unsuccessful. On May 24th they encountered a group of Ahtna who were thinnest, hungriest people Allen had ever seen. They had very little food except a few small fish, rabbits and some roots. Allen first thought of staying with them, but considering their condition decided to move on.

Why were the Ahtna hungry? There are a number of reasons. Alaska is not a Serengeti. Game is generally scarce. In 1885 moose were just expanding their range into the Copper Basin and scarce. Some caribou reside in the basin, but in the spring the large migratory herds were on their winter range outside of the basin. Dall sheep are present but live in the high mountains and difficult to harvest in the spring. Salmon are the most abundant source of food but only available in the summer. Ahtna had methods for preserving food; meat and fish were dried and stored in underground caches lined with bark, but it was hard to keep food over long periods. Water leaked into caches ruining food, or enemies found the caches and took the food or destroyed it. Ahtna oral tradition is replete with stories about strangers from outside the basin raiding and stealing food. This is one reason why food caches were often hidden in the woods.

As noted in an earlier post, spring is a very difficult time of year. Traveling is hard because the snow melts and leaves the country a mushy quagmire. Food harvested and put up in previous seasons is all but gone and, because they were hungry, men did not always have the strength to undertake long excursions to hunt game. As Allen points out time and again, the expedition had all it could do to keep moving up river without having to hunt.

Another reason is that the Ahtna had a different view about food in the sense that they always shared food with visitors. It was a requirement of Ahtna culture to be generous and share food. Non-Natives, after encountering Ahtna often remarked on their generosity but also their apparent disregard for their own individual needs. In this regard some non-Natives viewed the Ahtna as profligate, only concerned with living in the present. Hunting is a hard way of life and hunters accept the fact that they may go hungry at different times of the year. Part of Ahtna training was to withstand hunger and cold, and Allen often remarked at the stamina of his Ahtna guides.

Traveling became even more difficult; making six miles was a huge march. Eventually they decided to reduce the size of the boat. Near the mouth of Sinona Creek (called Snuu Na’ or ‘brushy creek’) they encountered a young man who was crippled. He claimed to be related to the headman of the upper Copper River and said he was willing to accompany the party. From him the party learned there was a trail over the mountains at the head of the Copper River. Initially Allen refused to accept the man’s invitation as guide, fearing he would have to support the man, but eventually found that he was very useful in digging roots, and Allen acknowledged that without the man’s services the party would have suffered.

Here Allen adds information from Fickett’s journal. These entries are from May 28, 29 and 30. Describes hunger, weakness, and cold. The water temperature is 43 degrees and the Ahtna provided some old moose meat invested with maggots. Apparently that was all anyone had to eat.

On the morning of May 28th they passed the mouth of the Chistochina River (Tsiis Tl’edze’ Na’ or ‘blue ocher river’). Allen was confused about which to follow because both the Chistochina and Copper are similar. The Ahtna accompanying them decided the issue by telling Allen that there were no Natives on the Chistochina but some on the Copper. Several miles above the Chistochina the party met a group of 23 Natives all who were ready to start downriver for Taral in order to fish for salmon.

On May 30 they encountered a small settlement of 4 Ahtna. After that they abandoned the boat and began to hike, led by their crippled Ahtna guide. Allen admired his speed and stamina. Crossed a clear water stream with a campground littered with fish traps lying in and near the water. The house had been burnt. The country was covered with marshy lakes and dwarf spruce and cottonwood. The leaves were almost in full and the variety of berry bushes were in bloom.

Camped about 3 miles west of the mouth of the Slana River. Allen believed the Slana arose from Mentasta Lake. In fact the Slana heads in the Alaska Range far above Mentasta Lake. In Ahtna the Slana is called Stl’aa Na’ or ‘rear river’. The Slana River is a major tributary of the Copper River and provides spawning habitat for sockeye and Chinook salmon. There were at least 3 important Ahtna villages in the Slana River valley: a place called Stl’ aa Caegge’ or ‘rear mouth’ which was located at the mouth of the Slana River; Suslota or Saaluuggu’ Na’ located on Suslota Lake, and Mendaesde or ‘shallow lake place’ called Mentasta today. Both Stl’ aa Caegge’ and Mendaesde have inherited chiefs titles associated with them. These villages were important because they were located at the periphery of Ahtna territory. The Mentasta chief controlled the Mentasta Pass, the gateway to the upper Tanana Valley. This was an important trade route that increased in significance in the mid 19^th century after the Hudson’s Bay Company established posts at Fort Yukon and Fort Selkirk on the upper Yukon River. It became even more important after American companies entered the trade and set up stores on the upper Yukon that the companies supplied with river streamers, thus increasing the amount the goods available to local Natives.

Upper Slana River. This photo was taken after a large earthquake had caused a landslide.

Mentasta Lake

Mentasta Village in about 1899. This photo provides details of a late 19th century Ahtna village. In the foreground is a fish weir in Mentasta Creek. This weir was used to harvest salmon migrating into Mentasta Lake. In the background are 2 large multifamily houses.