The people of chenega

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
            
                – Anne Bradstreet, 1612-1672

The people of Chenega have certainly experienced their share of adversity. They have not only survived, but prospered. Their village on the southern tip of Chenega Island was home for centuries. The rich waters of Prince William Sound provided well for the people.

These same waters, however, brought many changes; the first of which was the arrival of foreigners in sailing ships. In 1741 Vitus Bering sailed into Prince William Sound. He stayed near Chenega Island for a time while exploring the area. What Bering thought of the Alutiiq village is not known, but we do know that Lord Alexander Baranov, a Russian trader, thought well enough of the villagers to marry one of their Own, Anna of Chenega. While Lord Baranov most certainly appreciated Anna, he was shrewd enough to also appreciate the social and financial gains of his marriage. The village of Chenega fostered good relations and set the groundwork for profitable trade in the future when it agreed to the marriage. The waters of Prince William Sound also brought other transformations to the village. The Russian Orthodox religion, practiced by the traders and explorers who came in contact with the village, was eventually adopted by the people. It is this faith that sustained many of the villagers in years to come.

Perhaps the most difficult period in the history of the Chenega people occurred in more recent times. The island village was destroyed by a tsunami created by the Good Friday earthquake of 1964. Centuries of history were washed away, along with the Chenega village. The loss of life was catastrophic; as one third of the people perished. With the village gone, the Chenega people dispersed to other parts of Alaska and beyond. For twenty years the tides of Prince William Sound came and went without seeing a new home for the Chenega people. In 1984, however, a group of villagers established the new village of Chenega Bay on Evan’s Island.

Tragically, on Good Friday 1989, the oil tanker, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck a reef off Bligh Island, spilling millions of gallons of oil into the water. The tides carried the black, oily substance to the beaches of the newly established Chenega Bay village. The damage to the surrounding habitats was crippling. For the villagers who relied on subsistence fishing and hunting, the effects were devastating.

Today, the village of Chenega Bay prospers. There is an operating medical Clinic, the Father Nickolas Kompkoff Clinic; a newly built museum, the Johnny Totemoff Museum, which houses several Alutiiq artifacts from Old Chenega and Prince William Sound; a beautiful Orthodox Church, the Nativity of Theotokos; a school, a community hall, a subsistence center, an airport and small harbor. A system of generators and fuel tanks keeps the residents in constant supply of power. A master plan for the continued development of the village guides efforts to secure grants and chart necessary improvements. The community has a sophisticated response system for oil spills used by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company. There is also a ferry dock used by the State of Alaska ferry system as part of the Alaska Marine Highway. The oil spill response system that is now in place will hopefully never be needed. It is a safeguard for the village and the beautiful waters of Prince William Sound.