Metlakatla, Alaska. Inside Passage. Metlakatla is from Max?akxaa?a, a Tsimshian word meaning "saltwater passage." Metlakatla was named after another village of the same name ("Old Metlakatla") in British Columbia, which is on Metlakatla Pass, near Prince Rupert. The name may not be as appropriate for the Alaskan Metlakatla ("New Metlakatla"), as the weather there can be quite stormy.
In a more ancient time it was a Tlingit village known as "Taquan," and the Tongass Tlingits have never relinquished their claim to the island. The current village was established there while the Tlingits were away from the island on their seasonal round.