BSNC to Receive Conveyance at Aġnatquksraq (Old Woman Mountain)

BSNC is pleased to announce that 90 acres at Aġnatquksraq (Old Woman Mountain) will soon be conveyed to the corporation in partial fulfillment of the acreage available pursuant to Section 14(h)(1) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). Section 14(h)(1) allowed regional corporations to select cemetery and historic sites on unappropriated lands. Village corporation lands and Native allotments were not available for selection under 14(h)(1) by the regional corporation. On August 3, 1982, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) certified a regional selection application for Old Woman Mountain site, as an eligible historic place.

Aġnatquksraq has been used for centuries by residents of the Norton Sound communities. As an important lookout post for caribou and moose hunting, the area continues to be used in Our People's subsistence pursuits. It is an unmistakable landmark at the junction of Old Woman and Unalakleet Rivers. Located on the Kaltag Portage, the mountain served as a landmark and campsite for travelers and continues to this day as an important stop on the Iditarod trail.

The Statement of Eligibility from the BIA states: "Outside of the historical dimension, Old Woman Mountain is associated with stories and religious beliefs of Eskimos and Indians. The mountain was originally named after an old woman who perished in an avalanche on the eastern slope of the mountain and is said to continue to haunt the mountain today. One Unalakleet man told us that the woman's spirit had the ability to transfer itself into animals and other forms."

If you have family stories or traditions associated with Aġnatquksrak or know of other names for Old Woman Mountain, please email them to [email protected] so all our shareholders and descendants can learn of its history and significance.