Kasaan and Klawock
Long before the Europeans arrived on Prince of Wales (POW), Alaska Natives of the Tlingit and Haida tribes laid claim to these lands. Even that history is marked by conflict: the Tlingit saw the Haida “invade” the southern portion of Prince of Wales as population pressures drove them out of their home islands (in what is now Canada). Some of the native place names remain, including Kasaan and Klawock. One village, Hydaberg, even enshrines the Haida people into its moniker. Indeed, a short seven mile drive north of Craig places one on the lands of Alaska Natives.
It’s a different world.
My first introduction to the Alaskan Natives on POW came with an anthropological tour of Kasaan, a Haida village north of Craig. My wife and I came, in fact, to tour Kasaan’s Totem Park and Náay I’waans Whale House. These held the precious artifacts of a rich cultural heritage. First impressions? Wow. What a beautiful setting
As is sometimes the case, however, things did not exactly work out as planned. The problem was a mama bear with cubs. As we walked the path toward the Whale House, my wife — good Canadian that she is — spied the mama bear. In a tree. Keeping us firmly in her gaze. We turned around. No Whale House today. Let’s tour the carving shed instead.
The Carving Shed
If you look closely at the above photo, you will spot a totem on the right, just beyond the picnic table. The Kasaan carving shed held several more treasures. Works in progress, including several wooden canoes. Multiple carved fish cutouts. And the beginnings of a bent wood cedar box.
Plus lots and lots of cobwebs. In other words, an all around treasure.
Can you spot the details?
Our tour guide, however, was apologetic. Told us there was no need to pay for a tour that didn’t happen. We offered a donation. We both felt better. And then came the surprise. “There’s a totem raising going on this weekend in Klawock. You should go. It doesn’t happen all the time. And be sure to go to the potlatch afterwards. Everyone is invited.”
Just before we left, I used the restroom. There I was confronted with a conflicting reality. A reality all too common among Alaska Native villages. And, indeed, the world.
Going to Klawock
That discomfiting reality acknowledged, there are also times when you absolutely have to abandon your prior plans. Call it serendipity. Or just taking good advice seriously. No way were we going to ignore a totem raising. We’d already seen some of Klawock’s totems. There’s more?
As you can no doubt see from the above shot, Totem Park is pretty full. The new totems were, in fact, going up elsewhere. In what promised to be a Southeast rain. Also known as a persistent drizzle.
As if that wasn’t enough, along the way we met some additional folks from Klawock. One of them invited us to her table at the Klawock Potlatch. Unbelievable. Yes, it’s at the high school gymnasium. Which, as is the case in many small villages, doubles as a community center. Yes, of course! We’ll be there…
Copyright Leland E. Hale, all rights reserved (2024).
Order “What Happened In Craig,” HERE and HERE. True crime from Epicenter Press about Alaska’s Worst Unsolved Mass Murder.