Metlakatla

Metlakatla is the home of the Metlakatla Indian Community, a federally recognised Tsimshian tribe on Annette Island in Southeast Alaska. The Annette Island Reserve is the only Indian reservation in Alaska.[1]

Location and reserve

Metlakatla lies about eight nautical miles from Ketchikan and is not connected by road, so travel is by plane or boat. The Annette Island Reserve covers about 86,000 acres, is surrounded by Tongass National Forest and is the only Indian reservation in Alaska. The tribe, not the state, controls the land and surrounding waters.[1]

History

According to the source, the Tsimshian community migrated from Old Metlakatla in British Columbia in 1891 with the missionary William Duncan and settled at the Alaska site.[1]

Governance

A democratically elected tribal council leads the community. It ratified its constitution and corporate charter on August 23, 1944, and amended them in 1949, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Metlakatla Agency serves the tribe. The tribe is affiliated with the Alaska Native corporation Sealaska.[1]

Economy and population

Fishing, seaweed harvesting and hunting are important to the community’s livelihood. The 2022 population estimate was 2,476.[1]

FAQs

What is special about Metlakatla? It is the site of the only Indian reservation in Alaska.

How do you reach it? By plane or boat, as no road connects it.

Who lives there? Mainly members of the Tsimshian Metlakatla Indian Community.

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Metlakatla Indian Community

Editorially reviewed by Specialty Digest Editorial TeamLast reviewed November 14, 2026Researched and drafted with AI assistanceReport an issue