Tag Archives: old minto

Trip to Old Minto

The sense of community we all felt when we arrived at the Old Minto camp for an Athabasca Indian potlatch was incredible and inspiring. We were all very fortunate to interact with them and learned a great deal on our tour of the camp.

It began with a 30-mile boat trip up the Tanana River from Nenana, Alaska to the site that was originally settled in 1912. They have since moved their camp to a new location based on the flooding that continually caused them to flee, but still return to their old location for celebrations. It was here they were having a celebratory potlatch, as they come to the Old Minto a few times throughout the summer.

New Photos – Nenana and the Old Minto Camp

A small town called Nenana lies south of Fairbanks with a large Native population. Up the river from there Craig scheduled for us to meet with Robert Charlie, the director from the Cultural Heritage and Education Institute. While Robert Charlie turned out to be a bit of a swindler and general let down as he rushed us through our meeting at the village to make $100 for a boat ride, our arrival at Old Minto was a memorable one.