Alaska Native Language Building Naming
Honoring Alaska Native Culture
The traditional homelands of Dena’ina Athabascan people are located in Southcentral Alaska and include the Cook Inlet and Kenai Peninsula. Dena’ina Athabascan people are the original caretakers of the land on which Southcentral Foundation buildings in Anchorage reside.
Southcentral Foundation held ceremonies where many SCF facilities were given Dena’ina Athabascan names to celebrate and reclaim our language, history, and culture, and to honor the Dena’ina Athabascan people.
Each building’s name was carefully selected to honor and respect the culture and services provided within the facility.
The naming of Southcentral Foundation buildings with Dena’ina Athabascan language honors the rich heritage and history of Alaska’s Indigenous people and aligns with Southcentral Foundation’s Vision of a Native Community that enjoys physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellness.
Yagheli Shesh Qenq’a Anchorage Native Primary Care Center
Good Medicine House
4320 Diplomacy Drive
Alaska Native people say something is good medicine when it makes you feel well. Laughter is good medicine, being in healthy loving relationships is good medicine, being connected to culture and the earth is good medicine, being mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically in balance is good medicine. In Dena’ina Athabascan, yagheli means good, shesh means breath and/or wellness, and qenq’a means house. Inside Yagheli Shesh Qenq’a Anchorage Native Primary Care Center, we hope you experience good medicine.
Kisht‘a Car T’uh
More Car Place
4441 Diplomacy Drive
Kisht’a Car T’uh means more car place in Dena’ina Athabascan. Everyone wants a good place to park. In Dena’ina Athabascan, kisht’a means more, the word car does not have a Dena’ina translation, and t’uh means place.
Dekenagh Plaza
Heritage
4155 Tudor Centre Drive
Dekenagh means culture or heritage. Dena’ina Athabascan Elder Andrew Balluta said, “As the Dena’ina were long ago, now we can behave just in that manner, and things will be just fine for us.” SCF values culture and heritage in the journey toward wellness.
Sheshq’a
Support
4160 Tudor Centre Drive
Sheshq’a means support in Dena’ina Athabascan. Every employee across Southcentral Foundation works in Sheshq’a or in support of customer-owners and each other.
Gguya Ada
Baby Love
4145 Tudor Centre Drive
Gguya means little one, and Ada is a word for love in Dena’ina Athabascan. Children bring love, joy, and the promise of future generations.
Niłdghuligi
Fireweed
4341 Tudor Centre Drive
Niłdghuligi means fireweed in Dena’ina Athabascan. Fireweed is a plant used as a traditional medicine for restoring balance. Fireweed is the first plant to bloom after a forest fire burns the land or it has been logged, and it helps restore and stabilize the soil. Fireweed is also a part of the Southcentral Foundation logo and acknowledges SCF’s beginnings on Fireweed Lane in Anchorage.
Nateya
Our Strength
4201 Tudor Centre Drive
Nateya means our strength in Dena’ina Athabascan. The programs in the building work in partnership to support strong families and strong bodies.
Nu ch’ghednu
We Work for You
4501 Diplomacy Drive
Nu ch’ghednu means we work for you in Dena’ina Athabascan. We are one people working together for community health. “There are no better than or less than me,” as Rita Blumenstein, SCF Tribal Doctor used to say. We work together toward wellness to support employees and customer-owners.
Deshk’diłgush
Stoke the Fire
7033 E Tudor Road
Deshk’diłgush means to stoke the fire in Dena’ina Athabascan. Our facilities need a fire so people can stay warm and safe. Southcentral Foundation ensures we have that fire so we can do our work.
Nuqałi
Big Steps
4085 Tudor Centre Drive
Nuqałi is a word shared by Dena’ina Athabascan Elder Helen MacLean, which means to take big steps. With each step, a lot of ground is covered. People entering Nuqałi often arrive for new hire orientation or training, taking big steps in their education, career, or wellness journeys.
Shesh T’qelani
You Are Doing Your Best in Life
4175 Tudor Centre Drive
The Dena’ina Athabascan words Shesh T’qełani means you are doing your best in life, to have a long life, and to be careful with yourself so good things happen.
Nił Nuch’udex
We Listen to Each Other
999 E Tudor Road
Nił nuch’udex means we listen to each other in Dena’ina Athabascan. The programs in this building work with customer-owners to listen to each other’s stories and build empathy and compassion for each other.
Qenq’a Yeł Dnesh
Caring for Home
6160 Tuttle Place
Qenq’a yeł dnesh means caring for one’s home in Dena’ina Athabascan. When you care for something, you demonstrate respect for yourself, for others, and for the facility.
Quyana Qenq’a
Thank You House
225 Eagle Street
Quyana is the Yup’ik and Sugpiaq word for thank you, and Qenq’a means house in Dena’ina Athabascan. Gratitude is a cultural value, and Quyana Qenq’a is a house full of gratitude, for each other and for the opportunity to gather in support of each other.
Qeyeghu Nughedełi
Compass
4000 Laurel Street
Qeyeghu Nughedełi means compass in Dena’ina Athabascan. A compass is a tool to help people find their way. The services in this building help people on their journey to go in the right direction.
Yeshjesh T’uh
I Am a Safe Place
Coming soon on Tudor Road
Yeshjesh T’uh means I am a safe place in Dena’ina Athabascan. In communities across Alaska, when a person is in crisis, there are homes that are known to be safe for people to go to until the crisis passes. This is a safe place for people to come and be supported.
Luq’u Nakenu
Our Whole Family
6901 E Tudor Road
Luq’u Nakenu means our whole family. In this building, there are programs supporting people in all stages of life.
