Organizations

The Kenai Peninsula region is of great importance to the diverse peoples who have called this land home for thousands of years. These traditional territories of the many Indigenous peoples, are the ancestral and unceded lands of Indigenous communities, who we thank for their past and present stewardship of the waters, plants and animals.

The Chugach region includes over 5,000 miles of coastline, over 50 named islands, and over 20,000 square miles of mountains. Today we have over 1,500 Tribal Members living in Chenega, Eyak, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seward, Tatitlek, and Valdez, including Whittier and their oldest traditional village, Nuchek. These communities are found within the Lower Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, and Lower Copper River area. Ungualartukut imamek taumi qut’mek – We survived by the ocean and beach. We also acknowledge the space and land CRRC utilizes for our Marine Institute in Seward, the ancestral land of the Qutekcak Native Tribe. The territory of the Kenai Peninsula People (unixkuymiut) was on the southern shores of the Kenai Peninsula. Historically, the inhabitants were not considered a part of the Chugach region until more recent years. These people extended across Puget Bay to Cook Inlet, including Kachemak Bay. There were villages near present-day Port Graham, English Bay, Koyoktolik (Dog Fish Bay), and the east coast near Kachemak Bay. The cultural richness and diversity of the indigenous people are valued by all who call the Kenai Peninsula home.

CIRI

Cook Inlet Region, Inc., also known as CIRI, is one of 12 land-based Alaska Native regional corporations created pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). CIRI’s regional boundaries roughly follow the traditional Dena’ina territory of Southcentral Alaska. CIRI was incorporated on June 8, 1972 and is owned today by a diverse group of almost 9,300 Shareholders who live in Alaska and throughout the world.

CIRI manages a diverse and strategic investment portfolio for the long-term benefit of CIRI Shareholders.

CIRI has investments in energy and infrastructure, with a focus on renewable and green energy, along with real estate, investment securities, land and natural resources, private equity and venture funds, and a government services business portfolio. A portion of CIRI’s government services portfolio utilizes assistance available through the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) Business Development Program, which provides CIRI an array of assistance and benefits as a federal government contractor.

Tyonek Native Corporation, with subsidiaries for Manufacturing, Services, Construction, and Alaska enterprises, offers a range of services and capabilities. Our family of companies, operating in many states, is recognized as innovators capable of delivering complex projects—on schedule and on budget.
Tyonek’s mission is to profitably manage the Corporation so that Tebughna Shareholders have the opportunity to prosper individually and collectively, as well as with our partners in business.

Tyonek Native Corporation has a number of 8(a) subsidiaries. As an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), Tyonek subsidiaries have special rights under the SBA 8(a) Program. ANC 8(a) firms are exempt from the competitive threshold. That means they are eligible to receive sole source 8(a) contracts regardless of dollar size, with no upper limit [13 CFR § 124.506(b); FAR 19.805-1(b)(2)]—and the award cannot be protested. (Other 8(a) firms may not receive sole source contracts in excess of $4 million for services and $7 million for manufacturing.) Additionally, DoD sole source contract awards to an ANC up to $100M do not require a FAR Part 6 sole source justification and approval.

Tyonek.com

Seldovia Native Association, Inc., is the Alaska Native Village Corporation for Seldovia, Alaska. The Association owns some of the most scenic and pristine lands in the Kachemak Bay area. The well established quaint town of Seldovia attracts numerous visitors each summer.

In addition to its land holdings, Seldovia Native Association, Inc. owns and operates numerous businesses including the award winning Dimond Center Hotel in Anchorage.

The sheltered waters around Seldovia have been home to Native people for thousands of years. While there is no written history of these ancient people, archaeological studies have unearthed bone and bone tools; the remains of fish and animals that people ate and home sites and graves.

The Seldovia area was a meeting and trading place for the Kodiak Koniaqs, the Aleuts from the Aleutians, the Chugach people from Prince William Sound, and the Tanaina Kenaitze people of the Cook Inlet.

They traveled over land and across the sea to make their home in Kachemak Bay. Speaking Sugpiaq, Aleut and Dena’ina, they traded goods, ideas and regional traditions. This confluence of cultures gave rise to a tradition of subsistence from the sea and land that continues to this day.

SNAI.COM

The Salamatof Native Association, Inc. (SNAI) is a Native Corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA), with corporate offices and headquarters located in Kenai, Alaska. We are governed by an experienced board of directors and management staff, who are accountable to our shareholders. The majority of the 169 shareholders of the corporation reside in the Kenai Peninsula.

The mission of SNAI is to preserve and protect its culture and heritage and promote pride by enriching and educating its youth for the future.

Primary business consists of land sales and development. One of the most recent real estate development projects has been the purchase and renovation of a building.

Salamatof.COM

NNAI was incorporated in November of 1972 following the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) by congress in 1971. In 1972, NNAI represented 206 shareholders, all were given class A common stock and the majority were Dena’ina Athabaskan descent.

The corporation’s shares are divided into two classes: essentially distinguishing between Native and non-Native shareholders: Class A Common Stockholders are entitled to receive dividends and hold voting rights. Class A Common Stock may be converted to Class B Common Stock and left to beneficiaries who are non-Native via a Stock Will.

Class B Common Stock is held by more than 40 non-Native shareholders – recipients of shares through willed inheritance from Native shareholders. Class B stockholders are entitled to dividends but do not retain voting rights.

As of April 13, 2022, NNAI represents over 427 shareholders – with the majority of which own class A stock. We have shareholders living all over the country as well as a couple living abroad.

Nnai.net

Chickaloon-Moose Creek Native Association (CMCNA) was officially incorporated on August 29, 1973. CMCNA was created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971 and is a village corporation.

Chickaloon Village Traditional Council Chickaloon Village Traditional Council (CVTC) is federally and internationally recognized as a Traditional sovereign government with a nine member traditional council that is the governing body for Chickaloon Native Village. Today, the community of Chickaloon’s boundaries extends along the Glenn Hwy from the Kings River at mile 65.5 to Puritan Creek at mile 89. Chickaloon-Moose Creek Native Association had forty-two (42) original shareholders, each having 100 shares of stock for a total of 4,200 shares.

chickaloon-NSN.gov

The Knikatnu Corporation offers energy solutions and professional office spaces. Subsidiaries include KI Energy and Transalaska Building. Knikatnu Inc. was founded on integrity, professionalism, hard work and trust; values that never waver.

Name: Tyonek
Dena’ina Athabascan name: Tubughnenq’
Name meaning: “beach land”
Location: Tyonek is located on a bluff on the northwest shore of Cook Inlet, about 45 miles southwest of Anchorage
Population: 415 (2020)
Traditional language: Dena’ina Athabascan
Tribe: Native Village of Tyonek

facebook.com/NativeVillageOfTyonek

Name: Seldovia
Russian name: Seldovia is derived from the Russian word “Seldevoy”
Name meaning: “herring bay”
Location: Located on the Kenai Peninsula, along Kachemak Bay, approximately 25 miles southwest of Homer, Alaska
Population: 238 (2021)
Traditional language: Sugpiaq, Aleut, Dena’ina Athabascan
Tribe: Seldovia Village Tribe
Mission: We promote the wellness of our people and communities through health care and social services, economic development, and education.

SVT.org

Name: Salamatof (Russian name originally “Salamatowa”)
Dena’ina Athabascan name: Ken/Kena
Meaning: “flat, meadow, open area with few trees; base, low ridge”
Location: Western coast of the Kenai Peninsula, approximately 164 miles southwest of Anchorage
Traditional language: Dena’ina Athabascan
Tribes: Salamatof Tribe
Mission: To preserve and protect its culture and heritage and promote pride by enriching and educating its youth for the future.

salamatof.COM

Name: Ninilchik
Russian name: Ninilchik is derived from the Russian word “Niqnalchint”
Name meaning: “a place where a lodge is built”
Location: Ninilchik is located along the Sterling Highway, 38 miles southwest of Soldotna, Alaska, overlooking the coastline of Cook Inlet
Population: 898 (2020)
Traditional language: Dena’ina Athabascan
Tribe: Ninilchik Village
Mission: Along with its ongoing mission to promote the sovereignty, well-being, and cultural identity of the Ninilchik tribe’s people for generations to come, the organization also publicly strives to encourage the environmental stewardship of lands within tribal boundaries; promote access to health, education, and family resources; foster positive community development and civic projects; contribute to the growth of the southern Kenai Peninsula’s local economy; and support the culture and arts of local communities.

ninilchiktribe.gov

Mission
Perpetuate our ancestors’ beliefs, customs, traditions and values and steward our environment to help our citizens thrive.

Vision
A Tribal Government that stands sovereign with all nations, utilizes our land responsibly, has a sufficient resource base, and prepares our future generations, to fulfill our core purpose and long-term goals.

The History of Chickaloon Native Village
Chickaloon Native Village, Nay’dini’aa Na’, our name in Ahtna, meaning “the river with the two logs across it”, is a vibrant, innovative, and culturally rich Ahtna Athabascan Tribe located in Sutton, one of the most picturesque communities in Southcentral Alaska.

chikaloon-NSN.gov

Name: Kenaitze
Dena’ina Athabascan name: Yaghanen
Name meaning: “the good land”
Location: Western coast of the Kenai Peninsula, approximately 159 miles southwest of Anchorage
Traditional language: Dena’ina Athabascan
Tribe: Kenaitze Indian Tribe
Mission: By 2033, the Kahtnuht’ana Dena’ina have enhanced and strengthened the prosperity, health, and culture of their people and Tribe.
The Kenaitze Indian Tribe was federally recognized as a sovereign, independent nation in 1971 under the Indian Reorganization Act as amended for Alaska. Today, we have about 1,800 Tribal Members who live across the Kenai Peninsula and beyond. We employ more than 375 full-time and part-time employees and interns.

The Tribe delivers a variety of programs and services that promote the wellness of our people and the community.

kenaitze.org

CRRC

We, the Chugach Regional Resources Commission, acknowledge the land and waters of our people, the traditional homelands for over 10,000 years, and what we call the Chugach region. The Chugach region includes over 5,000 miles of coastline, over 50 named islands, and over 20,000 square miles of mountains. Today we have over 1,500 Tribal Members living in Chenega, Eyak, Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seward, Tatitlek, and Valdez, including Whittier and our oldest traditional village, Nuchek. These communities are found within the Lower Cook Inlet, Prince William Sound, and Lower Copper River area. 

Ungualartukut imamek taumi qut’mek – We survived by the ocean and beach. We also acknowledge the space and land CRRC utilizes for our Marine Institute in Seward, the ancestral land of the Qutekcak Native Tribe. This land was and continues to be of great importance to the Alutiiq/Sugpiaq people.
The territory of the Kenai Peninsula People (unixkuymiut) was on the southern shores of the Kenai Peninsula. Historically, the inhabitants were not considered a part of the Chugach region until more recent years. These people extended across Puget Bay to Cook Inlet, including Kachemak Bay. There were villages near present-day Port Graham, English Bay, Koyoktolik (Dog Fish Bay), and the east coast near Kachemak Bay.

Population: 254
Location: Between English Bay and the lagoon on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula
Tribe: Nanwalek IRA Council
Fun Fact: Nanwalek initiated the Nanwalek Salmon Enhancement Working Group, and through this program has collected data on salmon enumeration and escapement of the English Bay Lakes system since the early 1920s in partnership with several fiscal sponsors, such as the CRRC and the Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association. In the early years, the community used spruce trees and root ties for fish weirs. In the early 2000s, a new picket weir was acquired using federal monies. Since 1999, Nanwalek has maintained ownership of their fish weir under their own state operation permit through the Sockeye Salmon Enhancement Project.
The Native Village of Nanwalek is governed by the Nanwalek IRA Council consisting of an elected seven-member body. The Council consists of a First Chief, Second Chief, Secretary, Treasurer, and three Council Members.

Nanwalek is located on the southwestern tip of the Kenai Peninsula on lower Cook Inlet. The village is approximately 200 miles from Anchorage and is accessible only by boat or airplane. It is most closely located to Port Graham, Seldovia and Homer. The Native people of Nanwalek call themselves Sugpiaq meaning “real people”. Their heritage is strongly based in their language, subsistence lifestyle, cultural traditions and self-government. Their culture has steadfastly survived the Russian and later American impact on traditional lifestyles.
Village Corporation: English Bay Corporation

nanwalek

Population: 177
Location: On the western shore of Port Graham Bay, on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula
Tribe: Port Graham Village Council
Fun Fact: The Native Village of Port Graham constructed a salmon hatchery in 1993. CRRC worked with the Village Council to initiate the hatchery and had been integrally involved in its development since its inception. The hatchery had been supported by many different funding agencies and organizations, although the majority of funding granted directly to CRRC on behalf of the hatchery came from the organization’s Bureau of Indian Affairs P.L. 638 contract. Both red and pink salmon were reared inside the facility while operated by the Village Council. The Port Graham Hatchery was purchased by Cook Inlet Aquaculture Association in 2014 and put back into operation. This is a pink salmon facility with the capacity to rear 84 million eggs based on current water availability. Fish are reared in the facility until they reach the fry stage and then they are temporarily reared in net pens in front of the hatchery. On average the time in the net pens is two months before they are released to the open ocean. The following year, roughly two million adult pink salmon returned.

portgraham.org

Population: 2,831
Location: At the head of Resurrection Bay, a fjord of the Gulf of Alaska on the Kenai Peninsula
Tribe: Qutekcak Native Tribe
The aboriginal Qutekcak (pronounced K’toochek) Native Tribe was located in and around Seward, Alaska, on the sheltered northern tip of Resurrection Bay, which opens up to the Gulf of Alaska. Qutekcak translates from the Alutiiq language as “Big Beach” (Quta meaning beach). Qutekcak was a prehistoric Alaska Native mixing area, serving as a crossroads for the various Alutiiq and Sugpiaq groups residing in the rich marine geographical region of South Central Alaska, extending from Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula in the west, across Lower Cook Inlet/Kachemak Bay and the Gulf of Alaska, to the islands of Prince William Sound and the northern Alaska Panhandle in the east.

Other Alaska Natives joined the aboriginal community through forced labor and voluntary work when the Russian traders established a ship building settlement at the present day Seward location in the early part of 19th century. U. S. commercial interests, beginning in 1867 with the U. S. purchase of Alaska from Russia, provided further population influx and mixing. Gold miners arrived in the 1890’s, setting up an encampment as the trail head for the overland route to Hope and Sunrise. Then in 1903 the Alaska Railroad officially established the town of Seward as its southern terminus by purchasing land from Mary Lowell, of mixed Russian and Alaska Native ancestry, and building over an old Native village site.

Fun Fact: In the early 1990s, there was no facility in the state for producing seedstock. This left oyster seed, which could be imported, as the only species available for farming. It soon became apparent that if the industry was to survive, additional shellfish species had to be made available to aquatic farmers. To address this problem the Marathon Native Tribe (MNT), began operating a small pilot facility at the Seward Marine Center in 1994 to test the potential for producing Alaska shellfish seedstock. In 1996 the State of Alaska funded the construction of a first-class Mariculture Technical Center in Seward. The facility was completed in January 1998. MNT then changed its name to the Qutekcak Native Tribe (QNT) and operated the City of Seward’s Mariculture Technical Center from 1998 to 2004 with the help of CRRC. QNT and CRRC developed a business plan for the facility and various techniques and methodologies for production and for improving species culture. In September 2004, QNT made the decision to close the Qutekcak Tribal Shellfish Hatchery. CRRC took over operations later that year and renamed the operations Alutiiq Pride Shellfish Hatchery. CRRC later rebranded the facility to the Alutiiq Pride Marine Institute (APMI) to encompass the vast services provided to the region inside the facility.

qutekcak.org

Port Graham Corporation (PGC) is an Alaska Native Corporation (ANC), parent company of a family of 8(a) subsidiary companies. We offer these services via a suite of Subsidiary companies that offer more than 40 years of experience in government, commercial contracting, and professional services characterized by a robust accounting system, rigid schedule-management standards, and strict real-time project accountability.

A&E Construction Management Design/build, architecture/engineering and construction for a variety of buildings and other critical infrastructure.

Information Technology Enterprise-level information technology and telecommunication services to government and commercial customers.

Engineering & Professional Technical Services Engineering, facility development, IT system design, telecom infrastructure development services, construction and support.

portgraham.tech