Category: Athabascan in the Spotlight

In her latest book, Ïyaġaaġmiut: People Who Live Among the Rock Caches, author Ch’igiioonta’ She Holds A Child (known to many as Adeline Raboff) brings to life the story of the Nendaaghe Dena people and the historic forces that drove their displacement across the Western Brooks Range in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Set against a backdrop of volcanic winters, famine, and the arrival of new trade goods, Ïyaġaaġmiut braids historical events with oral history and family memory. Ch’igiioonta’ continues the legacy set by her father, who told stories.

Shifting the Timeline

Ch’igiioonta’ continues her work to place Alaska Native stories before colonial timelines and narratives. Through extensive research, she builds a historical timeline that intertwines with events happening across the globe. She describes this as “a series of events every community experiences.”

Ch’igiioonta’ centers the narrative around two major volcanic eruptions—Tambora in 1815 and Mt. Zavaritsky in 1831—which caused massive climate disruption across the Northern Hemisphere. She outlines the impacts of Tambora: in 1816 there was a normal fall, but a cold one; in 1817, spring seemed normal, but by June, full-on winter began and lasted for 21 months, finally warming in spring 1818. This environmental disaster led to starvation and disease. Ch’igiioonta’ shared that her own family has oral stories about this time, referring to it as “two years of winter.”

These environmental shifts, layered with the arrival of Russians, Americans, and British, caused internal conflict over trade routes. In the interview, Ch’igiioonta’ described competition among surviving chiefs, internal warfare over trade goods, widespread movement, intertribal conflicts, and large-scale displacement.

A Network of Relationships

When asked about the deep ties between Inupiat and Athabascan peoples before Western contact, Ch’igiioonta’ spoke about long-established trade routes and international trading centers, like Sasulik across from Kotzebue. These hubs included people from Siberia, the Dene, and others—“a hodgepodge of people” who knew each other, lived together, and had children together. Gatherings were not just for commerce; they included singing, dancing, wrestling, bow and arrow contests, and more.

She explained, “Kotzebue DNA comes from a bigger region than just Kotzebue.” For example, there is a mixture of Siberian, Koyukuk, and Innoko ancestry.

Ch’igiioonta’ also noted that some communities were familiar with foreign trade items 20 to 30 years before they ever saw Europeans. Alaska Native societies already had sophisticated systems in place—well-developed trade routes, relationships, governance, and economies—long before outside contact. “All things had already been settled,” she says of the Hudson Bay Company’s arrival.

This challenges the myth that Alaska was an unformed or “empty” place awaiting outside development. In reality, Alaska Native societies were deeply interconnected, organized, and thriving long before outsiders arrived.

Ch’igiioonta’ emphasizes the importance of asking questions and building historical perspective thoughtfully. She reflects on interpreting past conflicts: “Did they happen the way they did?” Her storytelling blends oral histories with hypothesis and comparative research across regions. 

For Young Alaska Native Readers

Ch’igiioonta’ hopes her work reaches young Alaska Native readers, especially those from interwoven or displaced lineages. She encourages you to look at where you are literally and culturally. Looking at Anchorage, you can see people in the village are also living in urban America. They have cell phones, toilets, water, heating oil, and other modern-day conveniences. They are a part of larger culture. “Everyone is intermixed in Alaska.”

She recognizes the complexity of identity in today’s world, and explains, “What you call culture is your culture. Us and them, we’re mixed together.” She talked about the importance of developing a love for other people. Pay attention and realize Native people have good values. Add the values—what we’re doing right now.”

She adds, “The more isolated a community, the more they preserved, like culture, stories, and ways of life.” It’s a bittersweet truth—offering hope for what was saved, but also mourning what was lost.

On historical trauma, Ch’igiioonta’ doesn’t dwell on pity. Instead, she focuses on resilience and personal responsibility. She acknowledges the painful legacies of boarding schools, the welfare system, and family separation, but emphasizes that healing comes from how people choose to move forward, and not from remaining stuck in what was done to them. For her, it’s about reclaiming both cultural values and the power to tell your own story—on your own terms.

What’s Next

Ch’igiioonta’ is already thinking ahead to her next book, which may examine how these forces played out differently in each community.

She encourages readers to explore stories beyond their own regions: “Nobody lives in isolation. If you want to learn about what happened in your region, look at other regions. Everyone sees different aspects of it.” Her work reflects shared knowledge, where she’s helped build a framework readers can use to compare stories and oral histories.

“I’m going to start some fires,” she says with a smile.

From ancient migrations to the modern challenges of identity and place, Ïyaġaaġmiut offers a layered view of survival and continuity. As Ch’igiioonta’ puts it, “Alaska Native—competitive.” And with this book, she reminds us just how strong that spirit of adaptation has always been.

Congratulations Ch’igiioonta’ She Holds A Child on her latest book! Find Ïyaġaaġmiut: People Who Live Among the Rock Caches on Amazon, in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover formats.

Related posts:

• Adeline Peter Raboff – Author and Historian
• Northern Koyukon circa 1820-1900