Anaktuvuk Pass | Anaqutuuvak | Naqsraq

Traditional Names: Anaqutuuvak, Naqsraq (Iñupiaq)

USGS listed name: Anaktuvuk Pass

North of the Arctic Circle in the center of Alaska’s Brooks Range, you’ll find Anaktuvuk Pass - the last remaining settlement of the inland Iñupiat, the Nunamiut. The name Anaktuvuk is an anglicized version of the Iñupiaq Anaqutuuvak, meaning “place of caribou droppings.” The community is located along a historic caribou migration route, and three herds of caribou - the Western Arctic Herd, Teshekpuk Lake Herd, and the Central Arctic Herd - typically travel through Anaktuvuk Pass during their migration, providing the community’s primary food source and name. The community is also referred to as Naqsraq meaning “summit or ridge.”

Learn more about Anaktuvuk Pass in this interactive story map, and read the 2020 Arctic Sounder article about changes in caribou abundance that has left the community fighting for its namesake.