Annette Island orTàakw.àani (Tlingit) is an island in theGravina Islands of theAlexander Archipelago of thePacific Ocean on the southeastern coast of theU.S. state ofAlaska. It is at55°08′06″N131°27′21″W / 55.13500°N 131.45583°W /55.13500; -131.45583. It is about 18 km (11 mi) long and about 18 km (11 mi) wide. The land area is 332.573 km² (128.407 sq mi). Annette Island is located west across theRevillagigedo Channel from the Alaska mainland and south ofRevillagigedo Island. The Island was named in 1879 byWilliam Healey Dall, an Americannaturalist and explorer in Alaska, in honor of his wife Annette Whitney Dall.^[1]

The meaning of theTlingit name for the island is Winter Town. Since the late 19th century, it has been the base of theAnnette Island Reserve of the MetlakatlaAlaska Native Community, composed mostly ofTsimshian people. This is the onlyIndian reservation in Alaska as Metlakatla voted to opt out of giving up their lands under theAlaska Native Claims Settlement Act of the 1970s. In 2016 they elected Audrey Hudson as their first Tribal Chairwoman.^[2]

The largest settlement on the island isMetlakatla. The federally recognized Metlakatla Indian Community was founded by an unordained Anglican missionaryWilliam Duncan and Tsimshian followers who moved with him from their community of Metlakatla in British Columbia after he developed new doctrine andschismatized from his church.

Since the late 19th century, the entire island has been anIndian reserve, a status enacted by Congress when the Tlingit agreed to let the Tsimshian use this territory.

The Tsimshian set up their government under theIndian Reorganization Act (1934), writing a constitution for electoral government. They have a twelve-person Council. "The mayor, secretary, and treasurer are elected by the general voting membership of the community. Each of these is elected for a two-year term. Council seats are staggered, resulting in the election of six Council seats each year and three executives every second year."^[2]

Since the late 1970s, this has been the only remaining reservation in Alaska, as the Metlakatla opted out of giving up their lands for payment under theAlaska Native Claims Settlement Act.^[2]

In 2016 its Tribal Chairwoman isAudrey Hudson, the first woman to be elected to this role. She also serves as mayor, city manager, and police commissioner of the Metlakatla Indian Community.^[2]

The island's population was 1,447 at the2000 census.^[3] The island population is composed mainly ofTsimshian people. It is a cultural crossroads forTlingit andHaida Natives as well.

A network of unimproved roads and trails on the island were developed during years of logging. More than 50 years after the United States made a treaty with the Metlakatla Community that promised a cross-island road in exchange for their allowing construction and operation of an airfield on the island, it made good on its word. A joint armed forces task force constructed a 15-mile road across the island, completed from 1997 to 2007, which connected Metlakatla on the ocean side to the side facing Ketchikan, where a ferry landing has been built.^[4] This has not improved access by ferry to the mainland.

After the Second World War, the airfield was used as aUnited States Coast GuardSearch and Rescue base. It served commercial aircraft as well until the 1970s, when the new Ketchikan Airport was built at Gravina Island in the Inside Passage.

The lower elevations of Annette Island have aMarine west coast climate (KöppenCfb), with windy and wet weather year-round, cool winters, and mild summers, and straddle the border betweenUSDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7 and 8.^[5] Due to its southerly and maritime location, with an annual mean temperature of 47.7 °F (8.7 °C), theAnnette Island Airport is one of the warmest locations statewide. Precipitation falls on most days during the winter, and the seasonal total snowfall of 33.5 inches (85 cm) occurs mostly from November to March, with some accumulation during April. Snowfall in May and October is relatively rare; warm spells raise the high to 50 °F (10 °C) for several days each month. During summer, there is an average of 17 days with 70 °F (21 °C)+ highs, and rain still falls on around half of the days. Precipitation averages more than 103 inches (2.62 m) annually, with June and July being the driest months and October and November the wettest. Extreme temperatures have ranged from −4 °F (−20 °C) on January 30, 1947, up to 93 °F (34 °C) on June 19, 2004, with the temperature having fallen below 0 °F (−18 °C) only on a handful of occasions. In addition, the Annette Island Airport holds the Alaska state monthly record high temperatures for January (66 °F or 19 °C on January 14, 2017), April (82 °F or 28 °C on April 29, 1976), and November (67 °F or 19 °C on November 1, 1970).^[6]

Annette first appeared on the 1950 U.S. Census as an unincorporated village.^[13] In 1980, it was made a census-designated place (CDP).^[14] It last returned in 1990^[15] and was dissolved as a CDP effective as of the 2000 census.^[16]

• Annette Island Guide

• Islands of the Alexander Archipelago
• Islands of Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area, Alaska
• Tsimshian
• Islands of Alaska
• Islands of Unorganized Borough, Alaska
• American Indian reservations in Alaska

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