SUMMER 2014 | $3.99 THE MAGAZINE OF NATIVE PEOPLES, COMMUNITIES, AND WAYS OF LIFE

Harvesting FISH EGGS AND FACEBOOK REINDEER: THE OTHER RED MEAT CHEFORNAK SUMMER PATIENCE IN POINT HOPE NATIVE FOODS PHOTO CONTEST Sit’ Tlein

aakulagtevkenata | focus delicate dance is at play in Yakutat Bay. Called Yaakwdáat by the The story of A people who harvested here for millennia, floes Hubbard Glacier’s spirit and indigenous knowledge discharged by Hubbard Glacier, or Sit’ Tlein, of Tlingit seal-hunting clink against each other like cubes in a glass. practices Pop, crackle, sizzle. A swift current keeps things in constant negotiation while the sea BY LESLIE HSU OH gently combs the shores. The sun transforms everything white into a translucent drip.

32 FIRST ALASKANS ▶ SUMMER 2014 Kai Monture (Tlingit) awaits the arrival of his community to Shaanáx Kuwóox’, the place of the ancestral seal-hunting camp near Hubbard Glacier, or Sit’ Tlein. PHOTO BY BRANDON McELROY, PROGRESSIVE MEDIA

Aboard a 33-foot aluminum miles wide, and 600 feet tall at its ter- his eyes with a pair of dark sunglasses offshore fishing vessel, archaeolo- minal face, Sit’ Tlein silences everyone and a navy blue cap embroidered with gists, Forest Service employees, and with a shotgun crack, then a teasing the words “Native Veteran,” Ramos indigenous researchers gather trickle of ice, followed by a section of leans back and projects his voice up around George Ramos Sr., as he the glacier about the size of a building into a baby blue sky caught in whis- prepares an offering to Sit’ Tlein, or calving. By the time the thunderous pers of white clouds. Láayaduxk’áns’. Ramos, known as sound fades and the massive wave from He addresses Sit’ Tlein in both Woochjáxueesh in his Tlingit heritage, the entry of the ice into the water dis- Tlingit and English while rubbing the is of the Raven Moiety, people of the sipates against the hull, things are so tobacco with his right hand, “Our Coho Clan, Frog House—and is the quiet that you can hear the “goo goo ga grandfathers, our uncles on our moth- inspiration for the group’s activities. ga” of seal pups on distant ice floe. er’s side, I thank you. We have come to The largest tidewater glacier in North In his left hand, Ramos holds a bag your country where we used to hunt. America measuring 76 miles long, 7 of American Spirit tobacco. Shielding And you brought me here when I was

FIRST ALASKANS ▶ SUMMER 2014 33 aakulagtevkenata | focus a little boy as you used to put the food Crowell says, “We want strong into the fire and call your grandfather. ownership from the community, not ‘There’s only We ask you to be with us. Don’t let just helping us or looking on. Ideas for trouble come among us and don’t let the project and guidance on the way a few fluent anyone get hurt in this country.” it should be done are coming from the After he sprinkles tobacco over community itself.” the side of the boat, Ramos hands At a kickoff meeting, Abraham said, Elders left his daughter, Judith, a loaf of bread. “I am really excited about this project. Known in Tlingit as Daxootsu, of the I have dreamed of doing some of that have the Raven Moiety, people of the Copper these things in Yakutat for the second River Clan, Owl House, Judith breaks generation. They need to know where ancient stories, off the bread chunk-by-chunk, each their ancestors camped and where time saying “Gunalchéesh,” before they lived and where they gathered feeding it to the sea. their food. Under oral tradition we oral history, can talk about it, but we need to have it validated by scientists for the sec- place names, Besides serving as a senior researcher ond generation.” of a study directed by Smithsonian an- The significance of this validation migration thropologist Aron Crowell and funded is that human and environmental his- by the National Science Foundation, tory encoded in living oral traditions stories, Judith is fulfilling her parent’s dreams. and place names can now be chrono- Her father inspired the research model logically correlated with archaeologi- by suggesting to Steve Langdon, former cal and geological data. For example, traditional Department Chair of the University the story of how the Gineix Kwáan of Alaska Anchorage’s Anthropology migrated from Copper River region knowledge of Department, the value of studying an- down to Yakutat Bay and made their cestral sealing camps and place names first settlement near Knight Island is seal hunting.’ he learned as a young seal hunter. Ra- not only centuries old, according to mos hypothesized that the seal camps Crowell, but “a very specific story in must be greater in age the farther the terms of place and the people who distance from the modern front of Sit’ were involved. It includes interesting Tlein. observations about where the glacier Judith Daxootsu Ramos Judith’s mother, Elaine Abraham, was and how it retreated. We can ask senior reseacher and assitant is the other senior researcher. Called ‘when did that happen?’ We can pur- professor, University of Alaska Chewshaa in Tlingit, she is clan mother sue that story by looking at archaeo- Fairbanks of the Raven Moiety, people of the logical and geological evidence.” Copper River Clan, Owl House, as That evidence so far suggests that well as Chair of the Alaska Native Sci- the migration might have taken place ence Commission and renowned as a around A.D. 1500, when the glacier pioneer. silt partially filled the bay but when but not Knight Island, Mann can Principal investigator Crowell, Yakutat’s harbor seal population, figure out when the story took place Alaska Director of the Smithsonian In- which thrives in its field of ice floes, based upon the geological date. At the tuition’s Arctic Studies Center, says, “It was already well established. same time, Crowell can do archaeo- is fairly unusual for a major research Co-principal investigator Daniel logical radiocarbon-dating at Knight study to start with a theory and an oral Mann, Assistant Professor in the De- Island and look at when people first tradition provided by an Elder [Ramos] partment of Geology and Geophysics occupied the villages there. Together, in the community.” It is also notable at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, they can precisely date when people that community scholars including is mapping and radiocarbon-dating built that village and the other sealing Elaine Abraham and Judy Ramos share moraines, trim lines, the overrun of camps mentioned in stories passed fully in the responsibilities of analyzing forest beds, and other evidence of the down generation after generation. the research. Judith is writing her dis- retreat and advance of Sit’ Tlein and Crowell can also study evidence of the sertation on this research for a Ph.D. in surrounding glaciers as well as sea distinctive Copper River culture that Indigenous Studies at the University of level history. the migrants bought with them. For Alaska Fairbanks, where she is teach- If the oral narrative indicates the example, earlier excavations by the ing as Assistant Professor. glacier fills up a large part of the bay Smithsonian’s in

34 FIRST ALASKANS ▶ SUMMER 2014 1949-1952 revealed an abundance of copper artifacts such as knife blades and jewelry at the Tlakw.ann (Old Town) site, probably brought from the Gineix Kwáan’s original homeland. Environmental history is also en- coded in place names. For example, K’ootsinadi (or Knight Island) means “shaken land” signifying that so many people lived there that their feet shook the ground. ‘U-nahd’idayahc (or Point Latouche) is an Eyak word meaning “month when animals bear their young.” In addition, researchers are also looking at linguistic source of place names.

The most important and fascinat- ing discovery made so far occurred in 2011 when the largest seal camp in Disenchantment Bay, believed to have been used from about 1845-1899 annu- ally from May through July for hunting harbor seals in the ice floes, was -fi nally rediscovered after years of failed attempts to locate cultural remains. The illusive camp, known as Shaanáx Kuwóox’ (“wide valley”) in Tlingit and

PHOTO COURTESY OF GEORGE RAMOS Qek’otliya in Eyak, had been obscured by an earthquake in 1899 that uplifted Sometime in the 1940s, George Ramos (right) and his uncle Jack the land and shifted it inland where it Ellis at one of the seal camps currently being excavated. became overgrown with a thick cover of alders, devil’s club, and ferns. Judith’s son, Kai Monture, or Kaakh’utxhéich, follows his mother’s clan as is culturally appropriate, and says, “There’s always reservations toys. Community members participat- in the past on the basis of insufficient that you have of strangers coming ed in a ceremony, which some Elders evidence. Now, not only can Yakutat into your land like this and handling said they have never experienced in Tlingit youth walk in the footsteps things that belonged to your Ances- their lifetime, to “reclaim that land of their Ancestors but the old seal tors and family, but I know they have and to also feed the spirits of our camps mentioned in the stories told the best of intentions.” family or ancestors that might have by their grandparents are now eligible Elders and members of the Yakutat died there… We did that ceremony to for inclusion on the National Register Tlingit community visited the site put them at ease and let them know of Historic Places and some may be last summer after Crowell and his that what was happening was a good returned to tribal ownership. archaeological team had uncovered thing and that we had given those For the Yakutat Tlingit community, the remains of seven tents and bark- archaeologists permission to be there Judith says her “main goal is to docu- covered smokehouses that the 19th and dig up the campsite and remove ment knowledge because our Elders century hunters and their families artifacts.” are so old and there’s only a few fluent used during the sealing season. Inside A historical place claim for the seal- Elders left that can speak the language they found rich evidence of camp life, ing camp under section 14(h)(1) of the and have the knowledge of the ancient including rifle cartridges, beads left Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act stories, oral history, place names, mi- behind by women who were sewing and a later appeal were both denied gration stories, traditional knowledge moccasins and regalia, and children’s by the Bureau of Land Management of seal hunting. My parents are two

FIRST ALASKANS ▶ SUMMER 2014 35 aakulagtevkenata | focus

their community that would connect Elders to the youth and accelerate this process of intergenerational sharing. I’m trying to tell a story that sets an example that will inspire indigenous young people in other communi- ties and encourage them to pursue cultural revitalization projects and go over to their grandmother’s house and ask her to tell stories or organize culture camps.” Monture’s voice launches the trailer of what they have in mind: “More ELROY, PROGRESSIVEELROY, MEDIA ALASKA than a thousand years ago my people c migrated from Interior Alaska down to Yakutat. This is one of the songs that came down with them.” Ramos says, “I am proud that my children have stepped up to help the project, that they understand the PHOTO M BY BRANDON Kai Monture, his grandmother Elaine Abraham, his mother importance of learning the language, Judy Ramos, his cousin Nirvana Ramos, and his grandfather George working with the Elders, and docu- Ramos (left to right) partnered with archeologists, geologists, and menting the knowledge.” linguists to tell Sit’ Tlein’s story. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Ramos and Abraham family, everyone has the chance to learn from their of the last fluent Elders. Tremendous lines to be respected when it comes to Elders. Before Monture’s song fades, knowledge will be lost in the next 5-10 sacred content.” his grandma, Elaine, chimes in “The years. We are running out of time.” spirits of the ocean is really important An archive will be established Culture and indigenous intellectual in this area. Hubbard Glacier and with the Yakutat Tlingit Tribe with property rights as well as clan owner- Mount St. Elias became the caretak- more than 500 hours of footage and ship of stories, songs, and dances are ers of these foreign people that were video-recorded interviews with key the most challenging aspect of this coming down to settle upon their informants, scenes such as the clan project. Like the delicate dance of ice land.... It was a foreign country. They ceremony conducted at Shaanáx floe, sun, wind, and water, all the par- didn’t know what to eat, they didn’t Kuwóox’ and hundreds of documents, ties, interests, and priorities will have know how to live. The spirits of that photographs, and reports resulting to weigh these rights against building place adopted them. They adopted from the seal camps project. Curricu- coherence between indigenous and the young ones. They showed them lum will be produced with a focus on western knowledge systems. in spirit how to hunt seal and they , Yakutat history, seal- McElroy says his “job is to keep became part of that glacier. They ing, archaeology, and environmental track of everyone’s priorities and in- became friends of the spirit of the science. Tlingit student volunteers formation that’s coming in and try to glacier.” from high school through graduate synergize that into a whole that works Without this context, without level will be conducting field research, for everyone involved and results Láayaduxk’áns’, without the stories, analysis, and media production. in something that connects young we could never understand the intri- Monture is co-directing a broadcast- people. I feel like, all over the world, cate relationships between landscape quality educational documentary there’s a lot of apathy and disenfran- and people, indigenous knowledge, with Brandon McElroy of Progressive chisement in the younger generation. and history of a place. ◀ Media Alaska. McElroy says, “My hope I want other young people and com- for the work is that it makes its way munities across America to watch this Leslie Hsu Oh (www.lesliehsuoh.com) into a final form that everyone in- show and feel like they could make a is a frequent contributor. Her essay volved would feel proud of and repre- difference in their community. “Between the Lines” was listed as a sents years of hard work and aspects “They can get a handy camera or Notable Essay in The Best American of the sacredness of this work without iPhone and document their Elder Essays. She can be reached at trespassing across really important stories and galvanize activities in [email protected].

36 FIRST ALASKANS ▶ SUMMER 2014 Hubbard Glacier

Alaska 1895 ice front

Possible 12e seal camp, 13 12d Seal camps unknown age ~1880 - 1950s Yakutat Bay 12c 12b 12a

11 “Old seal camp” pre-1780 to ~1880

Glacial still-stand about ~ 1400 AD Camp, unknown age 10 Two camps “Old Town” C.E. 1410 09 Pre-1780 at Holocene ~ C.E. 1550 - 75 07 76 glacial max. pre- 1780 C.E. 1275

Hubba d Gl c er 14 Camp; date unknown

r e R treat a i Aband. Pre-1780 by 1893 04 05

02

01 (Est. 1919) 15 Pre-contact to 1780s Aband. 1875 - ~1840 221916 Aban. 17 C.E. 1218 - 1800 ~1840 18 20 19 Aband. ~1840 C.E. 784 - 1840

A map of Yakutat Bay, from the project’s National Science Foundation funding proposal, shows how seal camps (in red) moved up theFigure bay, following 1: the Glacial retreat of Sit’recession Tlein (Hubbard and Glacier). archaeological Site 12b, highlighted here sites in yellow, is the location of thein recently Yakutat rediscovered Bay, large Alaska. camp known as Shaanáx Kuwóox’ in Tlingit, and Qek’otliya in Eyak. COURTESY OF ARON CROWELL/ SMITHSONIAN ARCTIC STUDIES CENTER

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TPI 7192010