Module III: Cultural History

Essential: How can an examination of "culture" in Alaska contribute to an understanding of Alaska history?

The history of Alaska would be unknown to us without the people that have come before us.  People throughout our states existence have passed down stories from generation to generation.  Without this passing of knowledge it would be difficult to understand how Alaskan life has developed.  

I think this was explained best in the Philosophical Foundations piece from the AK History and Cultures Studies site.  It was written that “we did not create the world we live in; it was created for us by those who went before us. They left their world to us, as we are leaving our world to future generations. Whatever insight we gain into how our world was shaped and how its values and assumptions reflect the judgments, perceptions and decisions of those who created it, will help us better to understand the world we live in and better understand ourselves.”

I often think of our little community and how it became the village it is today.  I often feel like I am in the middle of nowhere.  Why did people settle here?  According to Alan Sorum, “Tlingit people lived in settlements along the island and controlled trade with Natives of Canada’s interior via the Stikine River that passes through the coastal mountains.”  Even today the Stikine River is the reason people are able to stay in Wrangell.  While fishing techniques have changed over the years, the basics have been passed down from generation to generation.  Sons continue to fish in the same holes as their Fathers and so on.  Alaska is rich in history, but in order to understand it we must learn about the culture of our communities. 

Southeast Alaska Culture
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eakwrapet/Maps/MapSoAlaskaCulture.jpg 

Examine: What are the underlying beliefs and values of the Alaska Native groups? 

The Alaska Native groups beliefs and values are very similar.  A few of them are even the same.  All of the groups believe that it is important to share with others, work hard, and show respect for the land and sea, people, and animals.  The Alaska Native Knowledge Network (ANKN) has a great website that describes the values of each individual culture as well.  

The beliefs and values of each culture have been tailored to their region of settlement.  For example, it is important for the Iñupiaq people to have hunter success, but that is not a value of the Tlingit people.  The Iñupiaq people continue depend on their hunting and gathering skills to survive.  While Tlingit people, who are known for their beautiful totem poles, find it important to remember native traditions and pride.  

Inupiaq Dinner
 http://www.bigfootencounters.com/creatures/enukins.htm 

Chief Shakes House
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eakwrapet/photos.htm

Extend: In your blog, identify one Alaska culture of your community and/or of your students.  

On the Great Glacier, Stikine River (1914)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:On_the_Great_Glacier,_
Stikine_River,_near_Wrangell,_Alaska,_June_21,_1914._-_NARA_-_297798.jpg 

The Tlingit people moved down the Stikine River and settled in Wrangell, Alaska.  There is a story about how the Stikine Tlingit came to Wrangell through a hole in the glacier.  According to my local source this story is copyrighted to the “storytellers” of their culture and only allowed to be told by them.  However, Alan Sorum has written about it in The International Stikine River.  The story goes as follows, “Tlingit migration lore tells of their people’s travel west looking for a new homeland. They encountered a glacier that was too great to cross. A meltwater tunnel was visible at its base and several young men volunteered to attempt a passage through the crevasse. At the last moment, a couple of elders took the trip upon themselves fearing loss of the youth to the future of the group. These elders passed safety through the glacier and found the rich land of Southeast Alaska, Lingít Aaní. The remaining people followed their elders into their new land and became the first Tlingits. Stikine Tlingit traded historically with the Tahltan living on the upper reachs of the river.” 

Tlingit Box 
http://www.alaskanative.net/en/main_nav/exhibits_collection/southeast/

Southeast Alaska is a temperate rainforest which is home to a dense forest of cedar, spruce, and hemlock trees.  As expected, Tlingit people were woodworkers.  They created dugout canoes for transportation and hunting, totem poles to display their clan crest, and boxes to store their food (Emmons & Alaska History).  Today, in Wrangell, you can still observe many replicas of these totem poles that were rebuilt in 1939.  Currently the totem poles and Chief Shakes tribal house are being restored again (Knight).  About a month ago Elders and other member of the community working on the project did a presentation in our school about their progress.  I think it is awesome that our community works hard to preserve the Tlingit culture.  

Tlingit Women cleaning Salmon
http://skagwayfolklore.blogspot.com/2011/10/peter-bertona.html 

Lastly, in this short overview of Tlingit people I would like to write about their connection to the land in Southeast Alaska.  Tlingit people were primarily fisherman because they live at the edge of the tide.  They live off of the bounty in the ocean and river.  In April and May they catch halibut, king salmon, seals, and herring.  In the Spring the hunted sea otter.  And their main source of food were salmon which run from June to September (Emmons).  Fishing is still the livelihood in Wrangell.  While tools to fish have changed, traditions, secrets, and values have been passed from generation to generation. 

Evaluate: Please write a brief paragraph reflecting on the content, style, and usefulness of this module.

Two years ago I came to Wrangell to check out the schools.  My main objective was to decide if I wanted to complete my student teaching in Wrangell or in the comfort of my state, Wisconsin.  The day I went in to see the schools just happened to be a day with an assembly, a Native dance exhibition.  Elders spoke and students dressed in traditional garb danced and sang.  I was in awe.  That was the beginning for me, a never-ending journey to understanding the culture and history of Wrangell.  Needless to say, I found this Module to have tons of great information.  

Wrangell, AK
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Eakwrapet/photos.htm

It may be silly that I did not know the following already, but I wanted to share anyway.  In Paul Ongtooguk’s Essay, Maniilaq: Preparing for Change he wrote about the oral tradition of passing on stories.  He said, “For example, in some Native cultures, if a young person was told a story, he could not just go out and tell that story to someone else. First the story had to be heard over and over again. Then, the story had to be told by the 'learner' to the original 'teller.' In other words, the right to 'keep' (tell) stories was granted by the elders. In this way oral traditions were handed down in a structured way.”  For some reason I found this fascinating.  I imagined a young child sitting “pretzel-style” listening intently as the Elder of his clan told him a story.  Maybe I enjoy this because it is similar to today’s school: the teacher, the student, and the knowledge being shared.  

Resources:

Alaska History & Cultural Studies Curriculum. (2012). Alaska Native Heritage Cener: Kyak, Tlingit, Haida & Tsimshain. Retrieved from http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=194 

Alaska History & Cultural Studies Curriculum. (2012). Philosophical Foundations. Retrieved from http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=460 

Emmons, George Thorton. (1991). The Tlingit Indians. Seattle and London. University of Washington Press. 

Knight, Greg. (2011). Tlingit honor totems at Shakes house. Wrangell Sentinel. Retrieved from http://www.thewrangellsentinel.com/Stories/090111totem.htm 

Ongtooguk, Paul. (2012). Maniilaq: Preparing for Change. Retrieved from http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=279 

Sorum, Alan. (2009). The International Stikine River. Retrieved from http://infoaboutalaska.com/communities/the-international-stikine-river/ 

Sorum, Alan. (2012). Wrangell Island. Retrieved from http://infoaboutalaska.com/communities/wrangell-island/

Colleague Blogs:

Educational Exploration in AK

I enjoyed Kristin’s definition of culture.  Specifically the last paragraph about the adaptations of culture to reflect the change in history.  It made me think of the mixture of cultures passed down to me and those that will be passed on the my children.  

My Cove and Beyond

I am new to Alaska and am learning daily what it means to be Alaskan, but Marg did a fantastic job descriping Alaskan culture.  I have observed many of the things she wrote about.  Also I really enjoyed reading about Metlakatla and the Native people that make up their community.

Investigate Alaska

Betty wrote about the possibilty of being both Native and Modern.  She stated,  “It is possible to combine these two aspects of culture in a harmonious way. It is the responsibility of the community and educators to help help younger generations to achieve this.”  I think it is important that we as educators remind ourselves to incorporate Native ways of teaching/learning into our modern classrooms.