Traveling Tikahtu

Traveling Tikahtu. Traveling the Cook Inlet.

“Whenever the [upriver Dena'ina<] needed anything,... they come down to Alexander Creek to trade for beluga grease, seal oil...and they gave [coastal Dena'ina] caribou skins and marten skins. They helped each other, for the were the same people.”

, Seagoing People , Dena'ina Athabascans migrated to the area around Tikahtnu (Cook Inlet) from lands west of the Alaska Range some 1,500 years ago, and adapted to coastal travel. They became seagoing people, unlike their inland cousins who were river people. , Cook Inlet , in the hunt for a trade route connecting the North Pacific and Europe, Captain James Cook’s crew explored the two arms of what now called Cook Inlet. At the end of Tutl'uh, the explorers were forced to turn again, unsuccessful. The name Tyrnagain Arm is a reminder of Cook’s quest. , Biqidin , The double upturn prow on Dena'ina biqidin was called k el k 'itughil u which means into the bay with it. This prow was so called to ensure luck in hunting when turning into a bay. , Dena'lina Watercraft , For centuries, Dena'ina regularly traveled by boat up TuTl'uh (Turnagain Arm) through Tikahtu (Cook Inlet) to the village of Idlughet (Eklutna). Traders could transport much more over the water than by any other means. , One-, two- or three hole kayaks known asbiqidin and large umiak- style open craft called badi were used for traveling in the ocean waters of Tikahnu. Biqidin were fast and versatile, while badi were good for transporting people and gear. Both were made from sealskin. , Tikahtnu's Treacherous Tides , Dena'ina were able navigators, knowledgeable about Southcentral Alaska's complex tides, dangerous boretides and strong currents. Swamped boats and forced swims were rare. Birchbark baskets were carried to bail if necessary. The Dena'ina named Tutl'uh's boretide its growl: nudidghul. Upper Cook Inlet Denaína dialect