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Latitude / Longitude: 64° 58′ 30 N, 168° 3′ 35 W
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Time Zone: Alaska (AKST) (UTC-9)
Established:
Disestablished:
Comments: King island is a small island located about 40 miles (64 km) offshore, south of the village of Wales, Alaska and about 90 miles Northwest of Nome. The island is about 1 mile (1.6 km) wide with steep slopes on all sides. It was named by James Cook, first European to sight the island in 1778, for Lt. James King, a member of his party. It is part of the Bering Sea unit of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
Remains:
Current Status: In the mid 1900s the Bureau of Indian Affairs closed the school on Ukivok, forcefully taking the children of Ukivok to go to school on mainland Alaska, leaving the elders and adults to gather the needed food for winter. Because the children were not on the island to help gather the needed food for winter, the adults and elders had no choice but to move to mainland to make their living. By 1970, all King Island people had moved to mainland Alaska year-round. Even after the movement off the island, some King Islanders still return to gather subsistence foods such as walrus and seal. Although the King Islanders have moved off the island, they have kept a very distinct cultural identity, living a very similar life as they had on the island.
Remarks: In 2005 and 2006 the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded a research project which brought a few King Island natives back to the island. Some participants had not been back to the island in 50 years. The King Island Community awaits the project’s results.
