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Alakanuk has a federally recognized Tribal
Council which is the governing body of its tribal members.
Alakanuk is located at the east entrance of
Alakanuk Pass, the major southern channel of
the Yukon River, 15 miles from the Bering
Sea. It is part of the Yukon Delta National
Wildlife Refuge. It lies 8 miles southwest
of Emmonak, approximately 162 air miles
northwest of Bethel. It is the longest
village on the lower Yukon - the development
stretches over a 3 mile area along the Pass.
Approximately 25 homes along the bank are
being threatened by erosion. It lies at
approximately 62° 41' N Latitude, 164° 37' W
Longitude (Sec. 14, T030N, R082W, Seward
Meridian). The community is located in the
Bethel Recording District. The area
encompasses 35 sq. miles of land and 6 sq.
miles of water.
Alakanuk is a Yup'ik word meaning "wrong
way," aptly applied to a village on this
maze of watercourses. The village was first
reported by G.R. Putnam of the U.S. Coast &
Geodetic Survey in 1899. It was originally
settled by a Yup'ik shaman named Anguksuar
and his family. A Catholic mission school
was built near the village. A post office
was established in 1946. In 1948, the school
was relocated to St. Mary's, and many
families moved from the old school site to
Alakanuk. It incorporated as a second-class
city in 1969.
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