The Community of Nanwalek, AK
(For those of you who may not know anything about our newest
place of residence.)
Nanwalek is a small village on the southernmost portion of
the Kenai Peninsula. The Kenai Peninsula
is primarily accessible via the main road system of interior Alaska stretching
from Fairbanks in the north through Anchorage and finally to Homer at the
southern end. However, although much of
the peninsula is on the road system, Nanwalek is off road system to the south
of Homer separated by mountains, glacier, and highly wooded areas. This necessitates travel to Nanwalek being
via boat or small single-engine plane
from Homer which is 35 miles to the north.
Geographically there are two other communities to the south
of Homer prior to reaching Nanwalek.
Seldovia is the first of these communities, approximately halfway to
Nanwalek, which offers a stop on the Alaska Marine Highway the main ferry
transit which travels from Bellingham, WA to multiple ports across Alaska and
western Canada. Port Graham is the second
of the two communities located between Homer and Nanwalek. The village of Port Graham is approximately
five miles from Nanwalek. There is a
trail leading across the low part of the mountains that leads between the two
villages, taking approximately a two-hour hike to go between the two. You can also boat or kayak between them, as
well as the hourly flights that go between each of the communities.
The village of Nanwalek was originally called English Bay,
however the name of the community was changes to Nanwalek in 1991. Many Alaskans still know the area as English
Bay. The name Nanwalek means “place by
lagoon” and one of the major features of the village is the lagoon which is
separated from the southern mouth of the Cook Inlet by only a small strip of
land which acts as the landing strip for the community. The location of the landing strip in Nanwalek
can be difficult for pilots to maneuver (as compared to other area landing
strips) due to its location between two bodies of water along it’s length and
the side of a mountain and cliff on either of the ends. Looking across the Cook Inlet all three
volcanoes making up the ‘Ring of Fire’ are visible, including Mt. Iliamna, Mt.
Redoubt, and Augustine. The only of
these which could potentially cause trouble for Nanwalek being Augustine which
most recently erupted in 2006 and in 1986 prior to that.
The community is a damp village, which means that the sale
of alcohol is prohibited within the village, however the consumption of
alcoholic beverages is legal.
Communities in Alaska are classifies as either dry, damp, or wet
villages based on whether alcohol is completely prohibited, partially
prohibited (as is the case of Nanwalek), or legal for selling and consumption. Port Alexander, where we lived when we first
moved to Alaska, was also a damp community.
The population of Nanwalek is approximately 180 people. More than 90% of the village’s population is
native Alaskan. The majority of this population
is of the Russian Orthodox faith. There
is one church within the community, which is Russian Orthodox. A number of the values of the community
(including the students) are influenced based on this faith and traditional
native values. The priest, Father Sergei
Active, is a respected member of the community and offers prayer prior to
school/ community events and school site council meetings. This goes against the ideals of separation of
church and state, however for anything other than this to occur would be
counted as a snub within the community.
Culturally, the majority of the community is of Sugpiaq
(Allutiiq) lineage. The native language
of the region is Sugt’stun, closely related to Yup’ik. In fact, a point of pride for the community
is the fact that the local school is able to offer a bilingual education
program servicing 100% of the students.
There is a population within the school that are classified as ELL
(English Language Learners) based on the percentage of native language spoken
in the home in comparison to English.
Nanwalek is part of the Chugiach Native Regional Corporation
and therefore many of the decisions regarding the village follow corporation
guidelines and operate based on the city council headed by the first and second
village chiefs. There is a great respect
for the elders of the community and their ways, however approximately 50% of
the population of Nanwalek is under the age of 18. A major part of the community and culture
centers around subsistence activities, primarily regarding salmon fishing and
seal harvesting.
