Stilt village of Ukivok on King Island, Alaska

• Other Authors: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections Division
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: unknown
• Subjects: Cliff-dwellings > Alaska > Ukivok; Eskimos > Structures > Alaska > Ukivok; Alaska Natives > Structures > Alaska > Ukivok; Eskimos > Dwellings > Alaska > Ukivok; Alaska Native > Dwellings > Alaska > Ukivok; Ukivok (Alaska) > Buildings; structures; etc.; Eskimo architecture > Alaska > Ukivok; Bering Sea; King Island; Kayak; Cape Prince of Wales; Cape Douglas; eskimo*; Inupiat; Nome; Alaska; walrus*
• Online Access: http://cdm16786.contentdm.oclc.org:80/cdm/ref/collection/alaskawcanada/id/796

Filed in Alaska--Cities-- King Island is 2 miles across and located in the Bering Sea, 40 miles west of Cape Douglas and 43 miles south of Cape Prince of Wales. Ukivok was the native name for the island. The island was named in 1778 by British explorer Capt. James Cook for James King, a member of his party. But it's unclear how long the Inupiat Indians lived there. A century ago, about 200 people dwelled in walrus-skin homes tacked to the face of the cliffs. They hunted walrus, seal and seabirds and collected berries and plants. Every summer, they traveled by kayak and skin boat to the mainland 40 miles to the east, camping near Nome, where they sold ivory carvings. Starting in the 1950s, fewer people returned to King Island. The 1960 U.S. Census counted only 49 residents. The 1970 census found none. King Island is among 16 federally recognized Native villages that were deserted or used as seasonal camps. Today, many former King Island residents and their descendants live in Nome. Several factors contributed to the demise of King Island. Pregnant women were choosing to stay in Nome, where there were doctors. Many of the men were drafted into the military during World War II. In the late 1940s and 1950s, tuberculosis killed some people and hospitalized others. And ultimately, as with other Alaska villages vacated in modern times, paying jobs were available in more accessible towns.