Native Village of Kongiganak
About Kangirnaq
Kangirnaq is the original Yup'ik name for our village, more formally known as Kongiganak. It is one of the 229 Federally Recognized Tribes in Alaska. On the western shore of the Kuskokwim Bay, it is located about 75 miles southwest of Bethel and 456 miles west of Anchorage. It was permanently settled in the late 1960s by former residents of Kwigillingok who were seeking higher ground to escape flooding. Of the approximate 700-count tribal membership, over 95% are of Yup'ik Eskimo descent primarily speaking the Yup'ik language, and live a traditional subsistence lifestyle of living off the land. There are no road systems that connect our village to the outside world - small planes, boats, ATV four wheels, and snow machines are the main mode of transportation in our region. Old village sites of significance nearby: Ussneraayaaq (site of our current cemetery), Qamiqumiut, and Kangirnaarmiut.
Organizational Chart
Kong Orginizational Chart 06012022.pdfSite / Community Links
Cetuaq's Elder Quote
Uksuam’ Qanruyuutii
Guidance Words For Fall Season
“Kaillerkaat umyuaqluku pilallrukait’kut. Caknek murillkelluki neqet, egmian-llu caliaqesqaqluki.”
~Translation~
The elders forewarned us of starvation. To avoid it one must attend to any food and prepare without delay.
This was quoted from Cetuaq (Yup’ik name meaning: Whale) in the year 1999 when she was 92 years of age. Elena Phillip was born May 16, 1907 in Cicingmi, an abandoned village site near Kipnuk, Alaska. Cetuaq is holding a long tube of seal intestines "Qilut" that have been hung to dry. Traditionally the finished product "Ernerrluut" dried seal guts were used to make raincoats, water-proof clothing, and woven into baskets.