The Calista Region is home to 56 villages spread out along the Bering Sea coast and two of Alaska’s mightiest rivers – the Yukon and Kuskokwim – and it encompasses 57,000 square miles.
Calista Corporation’s land entitlement in the Region is 6.5 million acres – less than 20 percent of the Region. Approximately 75 percent of the land in the Region is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Our history, our cultures, and our communities are critical to our identity as Shareholders and Descendants of Calista Corporation.
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Our History
In 1971, Congress signed the landmark Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), creating 12 regional corporations and over 230 village corporations to receive money and manage lands on behalf of their Shareholders.
In 1972, village leaders of Yukon-Kuskokwim Region voted to establish Calista Corporation as their regional ANCSA Corporation. With assistance from Calista, the villages also established 56 village corporations.
In 2017, after a historic vote by our Shareholders, Calista Corporation joined a small but growing number of ANCSA corporations that have opened enrollment to the Descendants of its original Shareholders.
1983 Board of Directors: Martin B. Moore (Secretary), Raymond C. Christiansen (Chairman), Nelson Angapak (Vice Chairman), Phillip Guy (Treasurer)
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Our Cultures
The Yup’ik, Cup’ik and Athabascan cultures of the Calista Region are the most untouched in Alaska. Most families still practice a subsistence lifestyle, a cherished way of life that is vital to the survival of Alaska Native cultures.
In addition, the majority of residents in the Region still speak their traditional languages. Yup’ik is the second-most common Native language spoken in the entire country, according to the 2006-2010 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The non-profit Calista Education and Culture, Inc. documents traditional knowledge in the Calista Region and teaches the Yup’ik/Cup’ik “way of life” to our young people.
Calista Education culture camp near Umkumiute, the seasonal subsistence camp.
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Our Communities
The Calista Region includes 48 permanent and 8 seasonally-occupied villages located on the banks of the lower Yukon River and the middle and lower Kuskokwim Rivers, Nunivak Island, and the Bering Sea coast from the mouth of the Yukon River, south to Cape Newenham.
No roads connect the villages in the Region, making them only accessible by boat, plane, snowmachine or four wheeler.
The Region has 45 for-profit village corporations, each receiving ANCSA land entitlements. The village corporations for the communities of Kalskag, Lower Kalskag, Aniak, Chuathbaluk, Napaimute, Crooked Creek, Georgetown, Red Devil, Sleetmute and Stony River merged to form The Kuskokwim Corporation. The village corporations for Nightmute and Umkumiute merged to form Chinuruk, Incorporated.
Map Credit: Calista Land Department with data from BLM, AK DNR, Airbus, NGA, NASA, CGIAR, NCEAS, NLS, OS, NMA, Geodatastyrelsen, GSA, GSI and the GIS user community.
Akiachak Emmonak Mountain Village Quinhagak Akiak Georgetown Napaimute Red Devil Alakanuk Goodnews Bay Napakiak Russian Mission Andreafski Hamilton Napaskiak Saint Mary’s Aniak Hooper Bay Newtok (Mertarvik) Scammon Bay Atmautluak Kasigluk Nightmute Sleetmute Bethel Kipnuk Nunam Iqua Stony River Bill Moore’s Slough Kongiganak Nunapitchuk Toksook Bay Chefornak Kotlik Ohogamiut Tuluksak Chevak Kwethluk Oscarville Tuntutuliak Chuathbaluk Kwigillingok Paimiut Tununak Chuloonawick Lime Village Pilot Station Umkumiute Crooked Creek Marshall Pitkas Point Upper and Lower Kalskag Eek Mekoryuk Platinum