Uploaded September 2024 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
The United States Navy will formally apologize to the village of Kake this month for its devastating bombardment of the Southeast Alaska town and its associated sites more than 150 years ago.
The attack was launched in January 1869 and destroyed homes, canoes and food supplies during winter, which led to many deaths in the aftermath, especially among children and Elders who starved or died of exposure, according to Kake oral histories.
In the many decades that followed, Tlingit leaders from Kake appealed in vain to the military for an apology and reparations.
The recent news of an imminent apology surprised some Kake leaders who were under the impression that such a gesture was out of reach.
“It’s a long time coming,” said Joel Jackson, president of the Organized Village of Kake (OVK), which is located on Kupreanof Island. “We weren’t at war with the U.S., they declared war on us. It was never anything other than the military coming and bombarding our village—there was no war. They need to make it right.”
Much of the history written about the bombardment omits Tlingit oral histories and relies on the military’s accounts. The village is developing curriculum to teach children about the event and to set the record straight.
Jackson hopes the apology will be a first step toward healing the intergenerational trauma caused by the military’s violence.
“A lot of our people don’t even talk about it. We need to start talking about it, because we need to start healing,” he said.
The event is scheduled in Kake at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Kake Community Hall. Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will provide live stream coverage of the ceremony on its YouTube channel.
The communities of Angoon and Wrangell have also sought apologies for many years from the military for the destruction of their villages that occurred in 1882 and 1869, respectively.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.
Learn more about Sealaska Heritage here: sealaskaheritage.org
facebook.com/SHInstitute
instagram.com/shinstitute
twitter.com/SHInstitute
The United States Navy will formally apologize to the village of Kake this month for its devastating bombardment of the Southeast Alaska town and its associated sites more than 150 years ago.
The attack was launched in January 1869 and destroyed homes, canoes and food supplies during winter, which led to many deaths in the aftermath, especially among children and Elders who starved or died of exposure, according to Kake oral histories.
In the many decades that followed, Tlingit leaders from Kake appealed in vain to the military for an apology and reparations.
The recent news of an imminent apology surprised some Kake leaders who were under the impression that such a gesture was out of reach.
“It’s a long time coming,” said Joel Jackson, president of the Organized Village of Kake (OVK), which is located on Kupreanof Island. “We weren’t at war with the U.S., they declared war on us. It was never anything other than the military coming and bombarding our village—there was no war. They need to make it right.”
Much of the history written about the bombardment omits Tlingit oral histories and relies on the military’s accounts. The village is developing curriculum to teach children about the event and to set the record straight.
Jackson hopes the apology will be a first step toward healing the intergenerational trauma caused by the military’s violence.
“A lot of our people don’t even talk about it. We need to start talking about it, because we need to start healing,” he said.
The event is scheduled in Kake at 1 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Kake Community Hall. Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will provide live stream coverage of the ceremony on its YouTube channel.
The communities of Angoon and Wrangell have also sought apologies for many years from the military for the destruction of their villages that occurred in 1882 and 1869, respectively.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.
Learn more about Sealaska Heritage here: sealaskaheritage.org
facebook.com/SHInstitute
instagram.com/shinstitute
twitter.com/SHInstitute
