The New Village of Shageluk is located in the western interior
of Alaska on the east bank of the Innoko River, approximately
20 miles east of Anvik and 34 miles northeast of Holy Cross. It
is about 10 miles downriver from the Innoko
Wildlife Refuge. The Innoko River is over 600 miles long,
and Shageluk is the only village on the river.
The Old Village of Shageluk is 3 miles upriver from New Village.
We had to relocate in because of severe flooding and erosion of
our Old Village.
We live on a hill that we call "Zho-Tse". Our Native
Corporation was named after this hill in 1971. We are part of
the Doyon Native Corporation which
was formed during the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act
of 1971.
To the west across lakes and tundra we can see the Yukon Hills,
where our "cousin" villages, Holy Cross, Anvik and Grayling
are. The Yukon River runs along these hills from the coast of
Alaska, all the way to Canada. To the North we see more flat tundra
for many miles. To the east are the Beaver Mountains and the area
of the Iditarod.
Before Europeans came to our area, many, many people in small
and large villages were living along the Innoko. Our Ancestors
lived a traditional life, living off the land, respecting all
life and working together to make a better life for themselves.
In the late 1800's gold was discovered east of the Shageluk area
bringing in thousands of Gold Rush miners. Many of the early miners
accessed the gold mining area using the Innoko River.
In the early 1900's the Small Pox came to the area, wiping out
hundreds of families. Many children who survived were sent to
Missions in Anvik and Nenana. The Village of Shageluk is the last
Deg'Hitan Athabaskan settlement on the Innoko.
To commemorate the Serum Run of the Iditarod
Sled Dog Race was started. Every other year the race goes
through Shageluk on the Southern route.
Traditionally, our Ancestors governed themselves by respecting
their social and spiritual laws. In the 1920's, while Alaska
was yet considered a Territory of the United States, the Bureau
of Indian Affairs came in and told our Ancestors that to be a
recognized Tribe in the United States, they must organize under
the Indian Reorganization Act and form a Tribal Government. In
1924, the Native People of Shageluk became a recognized Tribe.
An IRA Council has 7 members.
After we became a state in 1959, Shageluk was incorporated as a second class city under the government of the State of Alaska in 1970. Our community receives Federal programs from our IRA and State Revenue Sharing from our City Council based on our current population of 140 residents.
Formal schools were first set up by the Episcopal and Roman
Catholic Missions around the state. The Bureau of Indian Affairs
started a school in the Old Village of Shageluk in . After people
moved to the New Village in a new school was built.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs, because of budget cuts, began to
cut their support of schools in Alaska. In the Iditarod Area School
District under the Rural Education Association of Alaska took
over the small village Alaskan schools.
In March, 1987 the school in Shageluk burnt to the ground. Through
the amazing efforts and cooperation of the entire community of
Shageluk, the school was rebuilt by November of 1987.
Today, Shageluk teaches Preschool to Grade 12. We have about 40 kids in school.
We have a staff of 4 Certified teachers and 5 Classified employees.
Our Science program includes learning about global awareness through the 
which also connects us through the Internet.
In addition to world and environmental science, the Alaska
Rural Systemic Initiative in Fairbanks hosted an American
Indian Science and Engineering Fair which our students were able
to attend.
The people of Shageluk have lived a subsistence lifestyle
for centuries. Subsistence means, that people live off the food
from the land. We hunt for large game like moose and caribou.
We also utilize the migrating salmon and whitefish in the river
every year.
Today, we continue our subsistence lifestyle but are under a greater
amount of restrictions from the Federal and State governments.
We now find ourselves members of the "cash economy"
system.
There are very few jobs in Shageluk. We have one store run as a Co-op through the Alaska Native Industries Cooperative Association. We are able to get in canned and dry goods, frozen food, and good produce.
Another important feature is that in our community we do have electricity, but we don't have plumbing to the homes. Our school, our Washeteria (constructed by the Community of Shageluk and the Public Health Service), the new Post Office and the new Indian Health Service Clinic are the only buildings with plumbing.
This page, using Hunt and Peck Construction, Inc.
Produced by
Joyanne Hamilton
Innoko River School
Shageluk, Alaska