Subsistence fishing and hunting are mainstays of the local culture. Most jobs are tied to the school, clinic, post office, store and village council, which is combined with Arctic Village. The school is attended by 44 students. Access primarily by air.
Residents haul water and honeybuckets.
The National Guard has used Venetie to teach cold-weather survival. Founded in 1895 by a man named Old Robert who chose Venetie for its plentiful fish and game. About 50 Natives were living on the Chandalar in 1899. The 1906-07 gold rush brought many miners, but by 1910, the Chandalar was largely played out. The Venetie Indian Reservation was established in 1943.