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Upper Kuskokwim Language (Kolchan, Goltsan, McGrath)

Upper Kuskokwim is an Athabascan language of Alaska, very similar to Tanana. There is no "Lower Kuskokwim" language-- "Upper" refers to an area of the Kuskokwim River, not to any peculiarity of the language. Like the Deg Hit'an, the Upper Kuskokwim people are often referred to as "Ingalik" by their white neighbors, a term most reject as insulting. Upper Kuskokwim is a highly endangered language spoken by only a few dozen elders today, but some young people are working to keep their ancestral language alive.

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Upper Kuskokwim Language Resources

Athabaskan Languages and the Schools
Overview of Alaskan Athabaskan languages, with comparison of Holikachuk, Tanana, Koyukon, and Upper Kuskokwim.

Alaska Native Language Center: Upper Kuskokwim:
Profile of the Upper Kuskokwim Indians and their language.

Upper Kuskokwim
Scanned-in language information from the Rosetta Project including an illustrated Kuskokwim alphabet.

Kuskokwim Prayers:
Kuskokwim translation of the Lord's Prayer.

House of Languages: Upper Kuskokwim
Information about Upper Kuskowim language usage.

Upper Kuskokwim Language
Upper Kuskokwim demographic information from the Ethnologue of Languages.

Upper Kuskokwim Language Tree:
Theories about Kuskokwim's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.

Upper Kuskokwim Language Structures:
Kuskokwim linguistic profile and academic bibliography.

Upper Kuskokwim Athapaskan Dictionary
Upper Kuskokwim dictionary for sale online. (Amazon affiliate link.)

Nikolai-Telida Village History
Article on Upper Kuskokwim Athabaskan history and culture.

Kuskokwim Legends:
Collection of Kuskokwim mythology and traditional stories.

The Girl Who Swam With The Fish:
A modern retelling of a Kuskokwim legend about a girl who turns into a salmon.

Additional Resources, Links, and References

Lengua Kuskokwim Superior:
Information about the Upper Kuskokwim language in Spanish.

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