Languages

The name Troth Yeddha'

Troth Yeddha'

The Troth Yeddha' Legacy Initiative

Read about Chief Peter John's 1994 blessing and vision for Troth Yeddha' and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Pronouncing the Name

Matthew Titus pronounced the name Troth Yeddha' in 1981 in this recording.

Lower Tanana spelling Troth Yeddha' 2 words, 3 syllables, initial caps for place name
LT by the letter | | tr|o|th y|e|ddh|a|' tr, th = digraphs, ddh = trigraph
LT with syllable & stress troth YE.ddha’
  • troth rhymes with “broth”
  • primary stress falls on YE
  • ddha’ sounds like “that”
International Phonetic Alphabet spelling ˌtȿʰɔƟ ˈjɪ.tðæɁ ˈˌ = primary & secondary stress
IPA by the letter | | tȿʰ|ɔ|Ɵ j|ɪ|.tð|æ|Ɂ  

About the name Troth Yeddha'

The Athabascan (or Dene) languages have ancient ties to the Tanana River Valley. Dene place names are functional, rule driven, and memorizable and are shared with neighboring languages. The ridge that is the site of the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus was called Troth Yeddha' (sometimes spelled Troth Yetth) by the Lower Tanana Dene (or Athabascans). Lower Tanana is the indigenous language spoken from Moose Creek Bluff (east of North Pole) down the Tanana to Baker Creek/Zitziana River. The Chena Athabascan band ranged between the Chena River and the Alaska Range.

For nearly a century many Tanana Valley Athabascan experts have shared with pride facts about the place name Troth Yeddha'. Troth is the plant (Hedysarum alpinum) known in English as "Indian potato," "wild potato," and "wild carrot." The word yeddha' means "its ridge, its hill." The troth roots were the most important vegetable food for the Alaska Athabascans. Troth can still be found in steam beds and flood plains between the university and the Tanana River.

Use the following links to learn more about the Chena people and the Lower Tanana language. There is oral history evidence of a small settlement at Troth Yeddha' before the 1840s.

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