Tribal Member Joel Isaak leads a Dena’ina language lesson.
The Dena’ina language is one of the Dene (Athabascan, Na-Dene) languages. The Kenai, or Outer Inlet, dialect is one of five Dena’ina dialects and is spoken by the Kahtnuht’ana, meaning “People of the Kenai River.” The Kahtnuht’ana occupy the eastern heartland of the Outer Inlet dialect and are the Kenaitze Indian Tribe.
Today, the Dena’ina language is one of the most endangered indigenous languages of North America, spoken by fewer than 100 people. Kenai Peninsula College offers Dena’ina and other Alaska Native language classes.
The Tribe’s Dena’ina Language Institute has produced an Audio Dictionary and a Soundcloud account to help teach the language.
Kahtnuht’ana Qenaga: The Kenai Peoples Language is another great resource for learning the language.
Cook Inlet Culture History: Anthropology 325 Cook Inlet Anthropology is a 3-credit Kenai Peninsula College class developed by Dr. Alan Boraas. The course is “a study of the peoples and cultures of the Native, Russian and American periods of the Cook Inlet region.”
The Tribe’s Dena’ina Language Institute continues the work of preserving the Kenai dialect of Dena’ina.
