11 Most Endangered
King Island
Year Listed: 2005
Location: Alaska
Current Status: Endangered
Threat: Deterioration, Natural Forces
King Island is a rock-cliff landmass rising out of the Bering Strait 95 miles from Nome. For centuries, King Island was occupied by the Inupiat Eskimos, known as "King Islanders" or Ugiuvangmiut. In 1959, the Bureau of Indian Affairs closed the island's school, leaving the King Islanders no choice but to relocate with their children to Nome. The 400 surviving Ugiuvangmiut, who are now in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, reside primarily in Nome and Anchorage. They represent the last generation who lived on the island and are seeking to seasonally return-with their children-to their homeland. The King Island Native Corporation, which owns the land, is working to protect and rebuild the island’s modest homes and public ceremonial buildings-most of them originally made of wood with walrus skin roofs. With little or no maintenance in a half-century, some of the structures have already collapsed while others are in imminent danger of being washed into the sea. Repatriation is urgent, not only to save these threatened buildings, but also to preserve the rich culture of the Ugiuvangmiut before it, too, vanishes.
Update
The King Island Native Corporation continues its efforts to preserve their cultural traditions and foster a reconnection with the younger generation of King Islanders. The desire to repatriate King Island on a seasonal basis and repair and rehabilitate the homes and
