The Chugach were a Native American group living in Alaska, in the vicinity of Nanwalek and Prince William Sound. The group went bankrupt in 1991, as a result of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill's impact on the local herring population. ~1950 the average life expectancy for the Chugach was 38 years (1 -- p.107). In 1964, a tidal wave destroyed the Chugach village of Chenega. In 1969, British Petroleum acquired the Valdez oil terminal, from the Chugach, for $11. Some natives contend that this was an illegal transfer.
