Alaska Native Languages

Recordings​

Holikachuk is the traditional language of the former village of the same name. In the 1960s, residents of Holikachuk moved to Grayling, where some speakers lived until very recently. Probably the last fluent first language speakers of Holikachuk, Wilson “Tiny” Deacon and Mary Deacon, passed away in 2012 and 2023, respectively.

Holikachuk is an intermediary between Koyukon and Deg Xinag. Although typologically more similar to Koyukon, the language was often in close contact with Deg Xinag, and many learned it as a second language.