Chilkat Indian Village (Klukwan)

Nestled along the banks of the Chilkat River rests an ancient Tlingit village called Klukwan. The name Klukwan is taken from the Tlingit phrase “Tlakw Aan” which literally means “Eternal Village,” or “The Village That Has Always Been.” Local oral history tells us that Klukwan was originally settled many years ago by a group of Gaanaxteidi (Raven Clan) men and their Kaagwaantaan (Eagle Clan) wives. The village site was chosen because of the rich natural environment found here, and it is located in remote northern southeast Alaska just 18 miles south of the Canadian border. Klukwan enjoys a multi-layered cultural history that is preserved through the Tlingit language, rituals, stories, oral histories, and subsistence activities practiced by the Chilkat Tlingits, a federally recognized tribe known as the Chilkat Indian Village (CIV).