Shem Pete's Alaska: The Territory of the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina

Barry Lopez
"a remarkable and singular piece of work . . . almost unprecedented."

Book Description
Shem Pete (1896–1989), the colorful and brilliant raconteur from Susitna Station, Alaska, left a rich legacy of knowledge about the Dena’ina world. Shem was one of the most versatile storytellers and historians in twentieth-century Alaska, and his lifetime travel map of approximately 13,500 square miles is one of the largest ever documented in this degree of detail anywhere in the world. In this greatly expanded, deluxe edition, Shem Pete’s Alaska presents the cultural and physical geography of the Dena’ina through 973 named places in 16 drainage-based chapters. The place names are annotated with comments, stories, and songs by Shem Pete and many other Dena’ina and Ahtna speakers, reconstructing this vast territory from the vantage points of their life experiences. Kari and Fall add vignettes, copious photographs, references, new and historic maps, perspectives on Dena’ina language and culture, and a summary of Dena’ina geographic knowledge and place-name research methodology. This beautifully produced edition is a treasure for all Alaskans and for anyone interested in the "personal connectedness to a beautiful land" voiced by Dena’ina elders.

About the Author
James Kari is Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, University of Alaska Fairbanks and author or editor of numerous publications on Athabascan languages and peoples. James Fall is a cultural anthropologist at the Divison of Subsistence of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. He is the author of The Upper Inlet Tanaina: Patterns of Leadership Among an Alaskan Athabaskan People (Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska), which was based on research with Shem Pete and other Dena’ina elders.


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Shem Pete (1896-1989), an Athabascan Native storyteller and historian from Susitna Station, Alaska, left a rich legacy of knowledge about the Upper Cook Inlet Dena'ina world. This expanded edition of a book originally published in 1987 by the Alaska Native Language Center of the University of Alaska and The CIRI Foundation presents 973 named places in 16 drainage-based chapters. The names form a reconstructed place name network from the vantage points of the life experiences of Shem Pete and other Dena'ina and Ahtna speakers. Place names are annotated with comments and stories by Shem Pete and some 50 other contributors, and with historic references, vignettes, b&w personal and historical photos, and a selection of historic and place name maps. Kari (professor emeritus, linguistics, University of Alaska) and Fall, a cultural anthropologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, provide a perspective on Dena'ina language and culture, a summary of Dena'ina geographic knowledge, and an overivew of place name research methodology. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


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