Chignik Lagoon
Chignik
Lagoon is located on the south shore of the Alaska Peninsula, five and
one-half miles west of Chignik. It lies at approximately 56° 20' N
Latitude, 158° 29' W Longitude (Sec. 23, T044S, R059W, Seward Meridian).
The community is located in the Aleutian Islands Recording District. The
area encompasses 12 sq. miles of land and 0 sq. miles of water.
Chignik Lagoon took its name from its
location and proximity to Chignik, the Aleut word for "wind." The
Chignik area was originally populated by Kanaigmuit Eskimos. After the
Russian occupation, the intermarriage of the Kaniags and Aleuts produced
the Koniags who now reside here. The people of this era were
sea-dependent, living on otter, sea lion, porpoise, and whale. During
the Russian fur boom from 1767 to 1783, the sea otter population was
decimated. This, in addition to disease and warfare, reduced the Native
population to less than half its former size. It has developed as a
fishing village.
|