The Sitka History Museum Permanent Exhibit Interpretative Panel Text Rough Draft October 2016

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 The Sitka History Museum values your feedback and will carefully consider all submissions. However, due to limitations in exhibit space and word count restrictions, not all suggestions may be incorporated in the final permanent exhibit.

 Please submit all feedback no later than October 21, 2016.

 Written feedback may be delivered to the following locations:

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Sitka History Museum Administrative Office Geodetic Survey House 210 Seward Street Sitka, AK 99835 During Business Hours, 9A-5P

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G1.01 Encounter Sitka Headline-5 to 10 words Body copy-60 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

A Land of Plenty

Since time immemorial, people have come to Sitka, drawn by abundant resources and natural beauty. The struggle over the rights to the bounty from the land and sea has shaped Sitka’s past and influences the present. However, the many peoples lured to this land of plenty–, Russian, American, and others–have gifted the town with a rich cultural heritage that is uniquely Sitka.

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G2.01 Since Time Immemorial Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

For thousands of years the Tlingit have called Southeast home, their numerous villages stretching from Dixon Entrance to Yakutat Bay.

–The Tlingit Creation Story: Raven Steals the Daylight– In the beginning, people lived in darkness. An old man who lived with his daughter selfishly kept all of the light of the world hidden in a box. Raven decided to steal the light and transformed himself into a hemlock needle. Floating on water drunk by the old man’s daughter, Raven slipped down her throat and emerged later as a boy child. Raven found the box containing the light and asked the old man if he could play with it. The old man refused, and Raven began to cry. The old man loved his grandson and at last agreed. The old man tossed the ball of light and the boy transformed into Raven. He snatched the light in his beak and flew into the sky. Raven let the light go and it floated above the clouds, casting the first rays of sun onto the world. [edited for space]

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–A Life in Balance– Long before grocery stores, airplanes, and online shopping, the land and the sea provided everything necessary for a healthy and culturally-rich life. The Tlingit became masters of sustainable harvesting practices. They gathered berries, collected spruce roots to make baskets, and carved canoes and totem poles from cedar trees. They hunted deer, mountain goats, and sea mammals. Salmon, herring, and halibut were dietary staples. Dependent on a harmonious balance between man and nature, the Tlingit permitted nothing to go to waste.

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G2.02 The Tlingit People Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

The Tlingit people have a complex social structure organized into two moieties, or descent groups: Raven and Eagle. Tlingit inherit their clan identity through their mother.

Traditional Tlingit country was defined by tribes, or kwáans, that controlled a territory and the resources it contained. Within each kwáan, moieties subdivided into clans, and clans into kinship-based houses. Clans owned at.oow, or cultural property, such as clan crests, stories, and dances. Ceremonies where at.oow was displayed or performed validated ownership and cultural identity.

Photo Captions: Traditional Tlingit Country Map caption: The Tlingit of Sitka are part of the Shee At'iká Ḵwáan and belong to the Kiks.ádi clan of Raven descent or the Kaagwaantaan clan of Eagle descent.

G2:03 The Great Northern Expedition Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Alaska’s first began in 1741when ’s Great Northern Expedition reached . The “soft gold,” or pelts, the expedition returned with would forever change Alaska.

As Russia’s depleted Siberian resources, Alaska’s abundant fur-bearing mammals prompted exploration. led The Great Northern Expedition to Alaska, but his ship wrecked on the return trip. Surviving crew members built a boat and sailed home. The sea otter pelts worn on the journey sparked the Russian colonization of Alaska.

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G2:04 The Russian American Company Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

News of Alaska’s riches quickly spread and fur trading companies flocked to North America. Small companies merged into powerful organizations, and by 1799 only the Russian American Company (RAC) remained.

Tsar Paul I chartered the RAC, Russia’s first joint-stock company, and granted it a monopoly over all trade. In return, the RAC had to govern , build new settlements, and Russianize the Native population. The RAC’s first Chief Manager, Alexander Andreyevich Baranov, had a big job ahead of him.

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G2:05 The Battles of 1802 and 1804 Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

PENDING CLAN APPROVAL Alexander Baranov ventured into to explore new sea otter hunting grounds and assert the RAC’s trade monopoly as American and British merchants encroached–he ventured into Tlingit Country.

–Fort Saint Michael and the Battle of 1802– When Baranov established Fort Saint Michael north of Sitka in 1799, he believed he had Tlingit permission. However, Russian-Tlingit relations soon faltered. Not all Tlingit leaders approved of the settlement or Russian exploitation of Tlingit hunting territory, and some of the fort’s inhabitants treated the Tlingit horribly. On June 15, 1802, the Tlingit, led by Kiks.ádi Warrior Chief K’alyáan, attacked and burned the fort and killed many of its inhabitants. Survivors fled to the capital of Russian America at Kodiak.

–The Sitka Battle of 1804– Following the Battle of 1802, the Kiks.ádi Shaman Stoonook foretold the return of the Russians and Baranov vowed to reestablish the . While Baranov gathered reinforcements, the Kiks.ádi built a fort at the present-day site of Sitka National Historical Park. In October of 1804, the Russians and the Kiks.ádi met in battle again. Both sides suffered casualties, but after the fourth day of fighting the Tlingit retreated to and the Russian American Company claimed Sitka.

Photo Captions: TBD

G3:01 Novo -Capital of Russian America Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

The new Russian settlement at Sitka, named Novo Arkhangelsk, or New Archangel, soon became the capital of Russian America, a position it held for nearly sixty years.

PENDING CLAN APPROVAL –Precarious Peace– The Kiks.ádi lost the Battle of 1804, but they did not lose the war. They relocated to an abandoned fort near Point Craven at Peril Strait called Chaatlk’aanoow. They regained their strength, replenished ammunition, and blocked traders from traveling to Sitka with supplies for the Russians. The Kiks.ádi rejected Baranov’s attempts at a peace treaty until he agreed that the land and its resources belonged to the Tlingit. In return, the Kiks.ádi allowed the RAC a small settlement at Sitka.

–The Birth of the Capital– Following the Battle of 1804, the RAC quickly got to work constructing a village heavily fortified against the Tlingit with armed and maned blockhouses and a large stockade, or fence. By 1808, Baranov moved the capital of Russian America to New Archangel and the settlement soon became a metropolis on the North American Pacific Coast at a time when most of San Francisco, was still used primarily for grazing cattle.

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G3:02 Uganax and Sugpiaq in Sitka Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Russians began their Alaskan campaign in the and quickly found that they could not match the skill and efficiency of the native Unangax and Sugpiaq hunters.

Russians used coercive measures and hostile force to compel the Unangax and Sugpiaq to relocate to new and hunt sea otters for the company. The Tlingit had long considered Unangax and Sugpiaq their enemies and cultural tensions flared when the Russians arrived with the Native hunters.

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G3:03 Creoles of Alaska Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Today, descendants of the Unangax and Sugpiaq who came to Southeast Alaska with the Russians continue to live in Sitka and contribute to the cultural fabric of this community.

The RAC encouraged marriage between Russians and Natives, hoping to improve cultural relations. Russia considered their children, called Creoles, citizens and provided for their education. Many went on to work for the RAC as navigators, accountants, seaman, musicians, trading post managers, cartographers, and as clergymen for the .

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G3:04 The Economy of Russian America Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

At first, the success of the RAC depended on the Alaskan fur trade, but as overhunting shrank sea otter populations, the company sought new economic ventures in Russian America.

The RAC traded sea otter pelts for tea in Chinese markets where a single pelt cost as much as 100 rubles–or a laborer’s yearly salary! As the fur trade dwindled, New Archangel focused on ship building, operating their fish saltery and sawmill, and exporting ice to California.

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G3:05 Russian Culture Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

In New Archangel, the RAC endeavored to fashion a colony built on their ideals of civilization, uphold their social hierarchy, and become a beacon of culture on the Pacific Coast.

The RAC held extravagant balls and built a governor’s mansion, tea house, library, museum, and public gardens. The Russian Orthodox Church worked to missionize and champion a hospital and orphanage, and Finnish and Baltic German RAC employees established Alaska’s first Lutheran Church.

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G3:06 Daily Life in New Archangel Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Life in New Archangel sometimes failed to live up to ideals. Isolation, supply shortages, social tensions, wet weather, and long winters all complicated life in the Alaskan colony.

Daily life in New Archangel meant interacting with a diverse population including Russian, Finnish, Baltic German, Creole and Alaska Native. Russian social hierarchy informed one’s clothing, job, and community status. Correspondence and supplies took months to cross the Pacific. Far from Russia, RAC employees forged a new way of life.

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G3:07 Prince and Princess Maksutov Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Prince Dmitri Petrovich Maksutov (1832-1889) and his second wife, Princess Maria Vladimirovna Maksutov (1845-1881), served as the last governor and governess of Russian America.

Prince Maksutov trained at the St. Petersburg Naval Academy and became a decorated veteran. He came to New Archangel in 1859 as RAC Assistant Chief Manager. Promoted to Chief Manager in 1863, Maksutov became the final governor of Russian America and oversaw the transfer of Alaska to the .

Photo Captions: ASL-P297-251, Prince Maksutov (pending state image use agreement)

ASL-P297-113, Princess Maksutov (pending state image use agreement): In 1829, the RAC decreed that all governors must have a wife. They hoped a Governess would contribute morality, civility, and domesticity to the rowdy and largely-male colony.

G4:01 The Alaska Treaty of Cession Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

In 1867, Russia ceded their claims on Alaska to the United States in exchange for 7.2 million dollars, or about two cents per acre. Russian America came to an end.

–A Strategic Land– Russia never fully colonized Alaska and struggled to support settlements there, yet some like Prince Maksutov, argued against transferring the strategic territory. In the United States, Secretary of State William Seward, a firm believer in American westward expansion, understood the value of Alaska in defending the United States and supporting trade with the East. His critics called Alaska “Seward’s Icebox” and the Treaty “Seward’s Folly. However, contrary to popular belief, many in the U.S. supported the acquisition of Alaska.

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–A Land They Did Not Own– The Treaty of Cession transferred all territory possessed by Russia to the United States, but Russia did not own all of Tlingit country. The 1805 peace treaty between the Tlingit and Russians only granted the RAC a colony at Sitka. With the Treaty of Cession, the U.S. claimed all of Alaska and placed Alaska Natives under the management of the government without extending land or citizenship rights. It would take over 100 years to settle Alaska Native land claims.

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G4:02 Primed to Sell Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

The RAC struggled to make a profit from their declining fur trade and the Crimean War left Alaskan colonies vulnerable, prompting Russia to offer Alaska to the United States in 1859.

Russia’s defeat in the Crimean War (1853-1856), in part to the British Empire, left the economy unstable and country unable to supply its colonies and protect them from neighboring , . Russia hoped that by selling Alaska to the United States, they could keep it out of enemy hands.

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G4:03 Striking a Deal Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

After the American Civil War, Baron Eduard de Stoeckl , Russian Minister to the United States, resumed negotiations for the transfer of Alaska under the direction of Alexander II.

Steward and Stoeckl entered into private discussions on March 11th and signed the Treaty of Cession on March 30, 1867. A mere ten days later, Senator Charles Sumner, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee convinced the U.S. Senate to ratify the Treaty by a 37 to 2 landslide.

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G4:04 The Transfer Ceremony Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

On October 18, 1867, Americans, Russians, and Alaska Natives gathered atop Castle Hill in Sitka to witness the formal transfer of Russia’s claims on Alaska to the United States.

–A Change Is Coming to Sitka– Sitka Sound filled with boats carrying diplomats and the United States Army ninth infantry. The first military commander of Alaska, Major General Jefferson C. Davis, waited for the U.S.S. Ossipee, captained by George Foster Emmons. The ship carried the chosen commissioners of the Transfer, U.S. Army Major General Lovell H. Rousseau and Captain Alexis Pestchouroff of the Russian Imperial Navy. The ship arrived on October 18, a bright and beautiful day.

–The Changing of the Guard– At 3:30PM, Russian and American troops marched up Castle Hill, joining dignitaries, citizens, and Alaska Natives. Double gun salutes were fired, their sound echoing off the mountains as the Russian flag came down and the United States flag was raised. Pestchouroff declared, “By authority from his Majesty the Emperor of Russia, I transfer to the United States the .” Rousseau accepted, the Americans gave three cheers, Princess Maksutov wept, and Alaska became United States soil.

Photo Captions: TBD (During the ceremony, the Russian flag stuck fast. After numerous attempts, a solider freed and dropped the flag, the crowd gasping as it snagged on Russian soldier’s bayonets below.)

G5:01 Sitka-The Capital of Alaska Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Under American rule, Sitka remained the capital of Alaska, but little stayed the same. The post-Transfer period marked a time of turbulence, transition, and unrest.

–The Business of Transfer– Following the Transfer, American and Russian commissioners worked together to distinguish public and private property. The Treaty of Cession granted all public lands and buildings to the United States. Private property owners received deeds for their land and the Russian Orthodox Church retained ownership of its buildings. Prince Maksutov stayed for a year to oversee property transfers and the emigration of Russian citizens, who could return to Russia or stay and receive U.S. citizenship. Many chose to leave.

–A Changing Social Landscape– With westward expansion and the Indian Wars raging down south, notions of colored American’s views of Alaska. Natives lived in Alaska since time immemorial and Russia had grown its settlements for 126 years, yet Americans perceived Alaska as a in need of civilizing. Under the United States, many found their social status suddenly changed. U.S. reports called Russians dirty and lazy, Creoles were viewed as Natives, and the government subjected Alaska Natives to aggressive programs.

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G5:02 A New Alaskan Economy Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

American enterprises, like The Northwest Trading Company, came to Alaska to profit from its plentiful natural resources. The fur trade continued, but new industries emerged and prospered.

Miners raced to claim gold largely ignored by the Russians. Supplied by bountiful fisheries, Alaska’s first canneries opened in Sitka and Klawock in 1878. New businesses in need of lumber helped grow the timber industry, and early travelers, like John Muir, gave birth to Alaska’s tourism industry in the 1880s.

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G5:03 An Ungoverned Land (Map Panel) Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

In 1877, the U.S. Army under General Davis left Alaska to fight the Nez Perce War, leaving Alaskan citizens with no form of government and fearful of a Tlingit uprising.

Sitkans repeatedly petitioned , D.C. for help. After two years and no response, they wrote to a nearby British military post. The British ship, the HMS Osprey, arrived promptly, embarrassing the United States into action. The U.S. sent in the Navy and Revenue Cutter Service, a predecessor of the Coast Guard, to restore relations. Together, they would govern Alaska for five years. The Tlingit attack never occurred.

Photo Captions: Post of Sitka, Alaska, 1877. 90.30

G5:04 Daily Life in Sitka Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

In Sitka, Americans began arriving and opened new businesses along Lincoln Street. In what seemed a remote and unfamiliar land, they strove to create a sense familiarity and society.

Americans in Sitka organized social gatherings and did their best to observe holiday traditions. Like the Russians, Americans relied on the Tlingit for locally-sourced foods, but had to get creative when other supplies ran short. General Davis’s wife, Marietta wrote, “I’ve learned to make fruitcake without either butter or eggs.”

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G5:05 Kill the Indian, Save the Man Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

The American government and missionaries worked together to eliminate Native culture. They forbid Native language use in schools, banned traditional ceremonies, and took culturally-sacred items.

In Sitka, a Presbyterian school for Native children opened in 1878, initiated by Reverend , the future General Agent of Education for Alaska. The school and local government officials advocated acculturation. In 1904, Governor John G. Brady gave permission for one final Tlingit Potlatch ceremony, to be held in Sitka.

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G5:06 Push for Alaska Native Civil Rights Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

The Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp is the oldest known indigenous persons’ civil rights organization in the world. The ANB founded their first Camp in Sitka.

–“Not for me, but for my grandchildren”– In 1912, a group of Sitka Industrial and Training School graduates attending an education reform meeting in Juneau founded the Alaska Native Brotherhood. They established citizenship, education, and property and resource rights as top priorities. Two years later, the Alaska Native Sisterhood formed. They understood that achieving their goals meant outwardly renouncing Native customs and embracing an American lifestyle. On the surface, they conformed to make their voices heard in government and protect their culture for future generations.

–“Then Fight for It” Peter Simpson– ANB and ANS efforts contributed to important legislation such as the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted full citizenship to American Indians and Alaska Natives; the 1935 Jurisdictional Act, which allowed the Tlingit and Haida to sue for lost lands and rights; the 1945 Alaska Anti-discrimination Act; the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, which transferred 44 million acres of land back to Alaska Natives; and the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, which granted subsistence use priority on federal lands.

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G5:07 Who Is In Charge Here? Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

For seventeen years after the Transfer, Alaska had no civil government. For the citizens of Alaska, that meant no governor, law enforcement, judicial system, or opportunity to make land claims.

With the onset of the gold rush, the inability to gain title to land wore heavily on Alaskans and they sent delegates to lobby Congress for civilian government. Finally, in 1884 President Arthur signed the Organic Act, which created the foundations of civil government with Sitka as the District capital.

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G6:01 We Are Still Here Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Sitka is a never-ending tapestry, made from thousands of threads woven together to produce an ever changing pattern. But to appreciate the contemporary design, one must understand how the threads reach back through time.

–An Enduring Legacy– The history of Sitka lives on in the people and landscape of this place. The same natural resources that compelled the first inhabitants to settle here over ten thousand years ago continue to provide for those who call Sitka home today. The fabric of the community, woven through many generations, provides Sitka with its most valuable natural resource, a rich cultural heritage that it endeavors to share with all who visit.

– Vibrant Tlingit Culture– The Tlingit are still here–still a living, breathing, vibrant culture in Sitka today. The tenacity that has made the Tlingit successful stewards of this land since time immemorial, sustained them through the conflicts and challenges presented by Russian and American co inhabitants. Empowered by the immortal souls of their ancestors, the Tlingit continually endeavor to protect and revitalize their culture, while also innovating to keep their culture relevant for future generations.

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G6:02 Revitalizing an Endangered Language Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Language embodies a way of knowing, and the acculturation programs that nearly eliminated the Tlingit language threatened to erase thousands of years of cultural information.

Recent efforts to document endangered have spurred . Thousands of audio recordings now preserve conversations, narratives, and songs in Native languages. Immersion schools, workshops, and a Tlingit language app launched by Sealaska Heritage Institute strive to keep the language alive for the benefit of future generations.

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G6:03 Reclaiming Cultural Heritage Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words The U.S. once outlawed Alaska Native traditional ceremonies, like the memorial ceremony called a potlatch, but today the Tlingit hold potlatches openly and work to reclaim their customary cultural practices.

During the acculturation era, many clans lost at.oow (clan property) to museums and collectors, but the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 allows clans to recover at.oow held by museums and federally-funded agencies. Ceremonies centered on the return of at.oow help heal the trauma of cultural suppression.

G6:04 No Word for Art Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

The Tlingit language has no word for art. Objects, like masks, are integral to culture, social organization, and spiritual beliefs– their aesthetic value inseparable from their power as sacred clan property.

Tlingit passed their history through generations using oral history, ceremony, and visual documents that many consider works of art today. In spite of governmental efforts to suppress Native culture, the Tlingit continued creating. Contemporary Native artists keep traditional art forms alive and relevant by honoring customary themes while exploring new mediums.

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G6:05 Beyond Subsisting Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Body copy-40 to 50 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

In the same way that your favorite holiday meal connects you to your culture, family, and history, traditional foodways provide both nourishment and cultural well-being for the Tlingit.

Although some exemptions for Alaska Native’s exist, conservation regulations designed to protect biodiversity can hinder cultural preservation by limiting access to traditional foodways. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska’s Resource Protection Department works to defend tribal citizen’s rights to access natural resources instrumental to preserving traditional foodways.

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G6:06 Sitka Today! Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Modern Sitka embraces the old and the new–the contemporary culture a reflection of the many peoples that have come, gone, and those who continue to call this place home.

–The Fabric of a Community– Nearly 9,000 people reside in Sitka, making it the fourth largest city in Alaska. Much like the United States as a whole, Sitka’s population reflects a rich diversity. Sitka’s primary demographic is EuroAmerican. Alaska Native and American Indian comprise about sixteen percent of the population. 150 years after the Transfer, some Sitka residents still proudly claim Russian and Creole heritage. Every year, many more are drawn to this land adding to the cultural fabric of Sitka.

–Economy in the 21st Century– As it has for thousands of years, seafood harvesting provides for Sitkans today. An estimated 18% of the population earns part of their income from the seafood industry, making Sitka the 6th largest seafood harvesting port in the country. The healthcare and education fields employ the largest sector of Sitka’s population; the United States Coast Guard continues its 150 year legacy in Sitka, and the tourism industry that began in the 1880s draws over 100,000 cruise ship passengers every year.

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G6:07 Taking it to the Streets Panel Headline-3 to 5 words Intro-20 to 30 words Sub-headlines-5 to 8 words Body copy-60 to 80 words Image captions-20 to 30 words

Explore Sitka’s rich history! Visit many of the sites you have learned about in the museum.

1) Castle Hill’s long history includes a Kiks.ádi clan site, the Russian American Governor’s Mansion, and the United States Agricultural Department in Sitka. 2) Built by Finnish laborers, the Russian Bishop’s House provided housing for Ivan Veniaminov, the first bishop of Alaska. 3) Building 29 is the only standing commercial building from the Russian colonial period. 4) Sitka National Historical Park, the site of the 1804 , is Alaska’s oldest federally designated cultural and historical park.

5) Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall is home to the original chapter of the organization. 6) St. Michael’s Cathedral, built in 1848, was the first Orthodox Cathedral in North America. 7) Sheldon Jackson College and Museum was established as a Native training school in 1878. 8) Redoubt St. Archangel Michael was the first Russian settlement in the area, built in 1799. 9 & 10) Other places of interest include the Russian and Lutheran cemeteries.

Photo Captions: TBD–Map with site notations

–The End–