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Ahtna Indian Language (Atna, Copper River Athabascan)

Ahtna (also spelled Ahtena or Atna) is an Athabaskan language of Alaska. Like most Athabaskan languages, Ahtna has highly inflected verbs and an SOV word order; unusually among Athabaskan languages, however, it is not a tone language and does not have nasalized vowels. Only a few dozen Copper River Indian people still speak the Ahtna language fluently today, but some younger people are working to preserve their native language for future generations.

˜Ahtna Language

Ahtna language samples and resources.

˜Ahtna Culture and History

Information and links about the Ahtna tribe past and present.

˜Ahtna Legends

Introduction to Ahtna mythology.

˜Ahtna Language Resources –

Our Online Ahtna Materials

Ahtna Vocabulary:
List of vocabulary words in the Ahtna language, with comparison to words in other Athabaskan languages.

Ahtna Pronunciation Guide:
How to pronounce Ahtna words.

Ahtna Animal Words:
Illustrated glossary of animal words in the Ahtna language.

Ahtna Body Parts:
Online and printable worksheets showing parts of the body in the Ahtna language.

Ahtna Colors:
Worksheet showing color words in the Ahtna language.

Ahtna Numbers:
Worksheet showing how to count in the Ahtna language.

Ahtna Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Ahtna Language Lessons:
Audio phrasebook and two children's stories by Chistochina Ahtna elder Lena Charley.

Athapaskan Languages of Alaska:
Place names in Ahtna, Tanana, Koyukon, Gwich'in, and Tanaina.

Alaska Native Language Center: Ahtna:
Brief profile of the Ahtna Indians and their language.

Ahtena Prayers:
Ahtna translations of the Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, and several other Christian prayers. With a pronunciation guide.

Ahtna Language:
Demographic information about Ahtna from the Ethnologue of Languages.

Native American Words:
Translation services in Ahtna and other Indian languages.

Ahtna Dictionaries, Audio Tapes and Language Resources

Ahtna Athabaskan Dictionary

Ahtna Dictionary:
English-Ahtna dictionaries for sale.

Native American Language Dictionaries:
Ahtna and other American Indian dictionaries and language materials for sale.

Links, References, and Additional Information

Lengua Atna:
Information on the Ahtnas and their language in Spanish. With photographs and a tribal map.

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