2012 Haines Visitor's Guide
Native art is prevalent in the daily lives - and sights - of Haines.
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Photos © John S. Hagen
Native Culture
ong before the valley became famous for its eagles and magnificent setting, the art of the Chilkat Tlingits drew the world’s attention to Haines.
Chilkat art manifested the great wealth and sophistication of local Natives, warriors and savvy traders who were among the most powerful bands in the Tlingit nation. Geography played a critical role in their rise. Believed to have migrated here from southern settlements, Chilkats and neighboring Chilkoots established communities strategically located for ease of harvesting food from the sea, streams and forest and for defense against intruders. The rich environment produced surplus resources and trade routes were established over mountain passes for swapping goods from the valley’s harvest, such as the oilrich eulachon fish, in exchange for copper, furs and moose hides from Interior Indians. The trade was so important the route over Chilkat Pass became known as the “grease trail.” Local Tlingits guarded their commerce, prohibiting Russian and Hudson’s Bay
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traders who arrived in Lynn Canal from establishing their own posts during the 1800s. Skilled navigators, they traveled widely throughout Southeast. At the time of white settlement in 1881, Tlingits in the valley numbered between 1,000 and 1,200, or about half of the valley’s current population. Until shortly after the turn of the 19th century, there were four active villages: Klukwan (located near 22 Mile on today’s Haines Highway), Klucktoo (a few miles downriver), Yendeistakye (just beyond the airport) and Chilkoot (at the head of Lutak Inlet). Klukwan is the only active settlement that remains but visitors today can recognize numerous sites of cultural importance. The Chilkoot village harbor was located near the mouth of the Chilkoot River on Lutak Road. From there to the lake are many old village sites. Archaeologists have used radio-carbon dating to estimate the age of artifacts recovered from the village sites. The oldest, part of an intertidal fish trap, was found to be more than 2,000 years old. About a half-mile in on the park road is a large, fragmented boulder. Named “Deer Rock,” it was the site of peace negotiations between warring tribes. The village of Chilkoot was just downstream of the lake, where a boardwalk extending into the river’s outlet allowed villagers to efficiently harvest salmon heading upstream. There are many gravesites in the area. Just past the airport on Haines Highway is the former site of Yendeistakye, a small village but an important gathering place. Klukwan, the main village of the Chilkat people, was a hub of culture and power among Tlingits throughout the northern Panhandle. In 1880, nearly 600 people lived here in 65 longhouses. Klukwan operates today under a tribal government. Many of its residents are shareholders in Klukwan, Inc., a Native village corporation organized under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Village members and other elders in the valley are working hard to revive and preserve a host of Tlingit art forms and skills. As a result, traditional knowledge camps have been held in recent summers. Such cultural workshops pass on skills from fish processing to canoe carving. A "hospitality house" opened in May 2010 where formal instruction in preparing traditional subsistence foods is offered and where village artists display and sell their wares. The village offers tours by appointment. Call 767-5770.
T otem poles around Haines signfy the area’s Alaska Native legacy. Nearly all the poles were carved in Haines by Alaska Indian Arts, a non-profit, educational group based in Fort Seward that was launched in the late 1950s to perpetuate Tlingit cultural practices. The largest, a 40-foot “Friendship Pole,” stands near the Haines School and went up in 1976. It’s patterned after a 27-inch pole in the Sheldon Museum that was carved in 1927 to thank town residents for helping smooth relations among Native clans. Atypical of traditional poles, this one combines figures representing both the Eagle and Raven moieties, and portrays white men. It was dedicated to the children of the Chilkat Valley, who have helped paint it over the years. The 16-foot “Eagle Family” pole rises above Portage Cove at Lookout Park, with guardians at its peak facing the Chilkat and Chilkoot valleys. A father figure at its bottom represents an Eagle chief holding a copper tinaa, a form of Tlingit Indian currency and symbol of wealth. A 20-foot pole at the Haines Library was carved in 2009. Its unorthodox design includes bear, raven, frog, woodworm, wolf, salmon and eagle figures at the top, representing clans of each of its eight carvers. A woman figure at its base signifies the Haines Woman’s Club, which started the library. She’s holding the Tlingit “Box of Knowledge," a time capsule to be opened in 2034.
Totem Poles around Haines
“Raven: Guardian of Clans” is the 38-foot pole at the Chilkat Center. It commemorates renovation of the town’s arts center in 1979. Crowned by a spread-winged raven, it includes frog and beaver designs traditionally owned by clans of the Raven moiety. A seven-foot pole, the figure of a single raven, stands nearby. Two free-standing poles and four, 14-foot, corner-post poles surround the replica tribal house in the Fort Seward parade grounds. A 35-foot version of the “Friendship Pole” stands behind the building; in front is 30-foot, raventopped pole that includes bear and wolf figures. One of the AIA’s earliest large poles, this one is more rudimentary in craftsmanship. A carving near the town’s firehall uses totemic techniques to depict an orca, the official seal of the Haines Borough. Atop the firehall’s hose tower is a five-foot, carved relief panel depicting firefighting equipment. Totem poles also can be seen at privately-owned properties around town and in the village of Klukwan. A pole along the Chilkoot River honors a family there. Most poles are made of red cedar. A few made of yellow cedar are lighter in color and more durable.
Alaska Indian Arts
Gallery and Workshop in Historic Fort William H. Seward Totems open 9-5, mon-fri 907-766-2160 FREE ADMISSION!
www.alaskaindianarts.com Non-Profit since 1957
Masks Prints Silverwork