Kiana, AK

Kiana is a city in Northwest Arctic Borough on the north bank of the Kobuk River, about 57 air miles east of Kotzebue. The village sits where the Squirrel River joins the Kobuk and where smaller channels meet the main river, which is why Kiana means "a place where three rivers meet." For generations it has been the central village of the Kobuk River Iñupiaq people, with river travel and subsistence shaping the calendar.

Kiana became a supply center for the Squirrel River placer mines in 1909, and a post office followed in 1915. The old mining connection is only one layer of the community's story; the Kobuk remains a freight route, fishing ground, and travel corridor, with summer barges and local boats bringing supplies upriver. Kiana School serves students through the Northwest Arctic Borough School District, while Iñupiaq language and community history remain part of the village's cultural work. Kiana is a river city whose name describes its geography exactly, a place where waterways, trade, schooling, and long-standing Iñupiaq life meet.