Electrical Power for Valdez and the Copper River Basin-1981

CULTURAL RESOURCESAboriginal Setting: Prince William Sound is the home of the ChugachEskimo, or Cuatit, as they call themselves. The Chugach Range and themountains of Kenai Peninsula form material boundaries between the Chugachand the Tanana Athabaskans of Cook Inlet and other Athabaskan groups inthe interior.The Chugach hunted primari ly marine rather than 1 and animals. Present inthe sound were harbor seal, fur s~al, sea otter, sea lion, and belugawhale. Fish of all kinds were abundant. In the 1 ate winter and earlyspring when bad weather prevented hunting, the natives relied on shellfish.This is evidenced by the accumulation of shells that mark almostevery village site or camping spot.Federica de Laguna surveyed Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet duringthe summers of 1930 through 1933. She was able to reconstruct much ofthe Chuqach material culture as it must have been within 500 or so yearspreceeding first contact with the white man. The following is a summaryof her conclusions.Archeological evidence indicated the population of the sound was verysmall. There were long stretches of shoreline where no sites werereported or observed. The material evidence shows that they had anelaborate social and religious culture. The Chugach were impressivecraftsmen in woodworking, evidenced by a rich asortment of tools,especially common was the heavy splitting adz, present in some of theoldest sites. There was a reliance on chipped flint and chert that weregrinded on wet stones. Native copper was worked by hammering, heating,and grinding for weapons, needles, spear points, and decorative uses.Village sites were usually on the shore, usually in protected waters, fortravel was almost all by sea. The village was frequently placed in astrategic position with a view of the approaches. This seems to be amore important consideration than a neighborhood of a salmon stream or arich bead of shellfish. Thus, it is thought, no permanent villages werelocated at the heads of bays in spite of the presence of some of the bestsalmon streams. Temporary summer camps were set up at fish streamsduring the salmon runs. Small rocky islands or cliffs which were difficultto climb were used as refuge places or forts. Hunting camps wereset up on small islands for the pursuit of sea mammals. Rock shelters orcaves near the shore might be used as camping places and burial groundsand the rock walls of such sllelters were sometimes used for pictographs.There were no permanent settlements in the interior.The dwell ings of the Chugach were generally underground with spruce barkfor roofing, although there is evidence of wood plank houses aboveground. There is also evidence of the Chugach using bath houses.F -1