NATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK

Transcription

1 BUSINESS NAME NATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK V OLUME 16, I SSUE 6 J ULY 2011 News from the Kanatak Tribal Council Shawn, Tess & Henry met with Ida Roehl, Community Services Director at BBNA. Ms. Roehl was impressed by the transformation of the tribal office and with the direction the Tribal Council is moving toward. She has offered to be available to the council and executive director as they continue to coordinate the re-organization of the Native Tribe of Kanatak. The council made a trip out to Seward to check on Little Star, the tribal boat. The boat appeared to be in good condition. The weather was perfect and Seward was just beautiful. The council would like the tribe's input on how to move forward with Little Star. Ideally, keeping the boat would be nice, however, finding the time to put good use to the boat is challenging. Keeping the boat vs. selling the boat may be a topic at a future tribal council meeting. The council has purchased a smaller boat to do some fishing. Terrence, Shawn and Alex will be leaving for Kenai on Friday, July 15. They will be there until Thursday, July 21. If any tribal members would like to come out to Kenai for dip-netting during that time, please call Alex at or Shawn at Alex will be in Wasilla on Friday, July 22 - Sunday, July 24. If any Tribal members would like to go fishing in the surrounding area, please call Alex at The office is keeping a running list of tribal members who have requested fish. If you are interested, please call Tess at As soon as the fish is ready, you will be contacted. Thanks for your patience. INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Kanatak History 2 Meet our Tribal Family 3 Alaska Native History 4 Spruce Root Hat 5 Native Body & Soul 6 Tribal Happenings 7-8 Struttin our Stuff 10 Alaska Guard 11 Right-Clicked photos 12 Kanatak Kids 13 Contact Info 14 New, smaller boat for subsistence fishing The council is still working on obtaining the Transportation Planning Grant. This is the funding that will be used to make the trip out to Kanatak. This will be a primitive week of camping at or near the original village site. We will be using GPS equipment for mapping the area. If you are interested in joining in, please call the office or Tess at Need tribal assistance? See page 9 for informational details.

2 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 2 Kanatak, Historically Speaking... Oilmen like Jack Lee believed Cold Bay was still the place to look, despite their busts in 1903 and Lee believed that had Kanatak pioneers drilled using more modern equipment, they might have reached the black gold they sought. The visibility of oil, coupled with an increasing demand, did not easily overcome the difficulties of drilling in the remote region. Still, it was the federal government not the mountainous landscape, brutal weather, nor the expense of oil exploration and development that prevented the oil industry from developing in Alaska for the next eleven years. Jack Lee, on left, in Kanatak in He died in 1963 in Sitka, Alaska In 1906, an order issued by President Theodore Roosevelt withdrew from entry all known coal deposits on America's public lands, freezing their development until Congress could come up with a better plan to legislate Americans' natural resources. The executive order, based on the Antiquities Act passed in 1906, authorizes the president to single-handedly designate any federal public lands as national monuments. Its creation was motivated by the looting of archaeological sites in the Southwest in the late 1800s. At that time, archaeologists realized that historical sites were being plundered and the artifacts disappearing into private collections or overseas museums. The brief act it's only four paragraphs long was initially intended to protect just small archaeological sites, but it has since been interpreted to give presidents the power to set aside parcels of federal land of unlimited size and to restrict logging, hunting, grazing and mining on these sites. Then, to the dismay of the Kanatak oil prospectors, in 1909, Roosevelt added oil lands to the no-entry list. Because Alaska was a federal territory, by 1910, the government had withdrawn all new oil leasing from Alaska lands, and in doing so, brought what little business remained in Kanatak to a standstill. For a decade the Cold Bay oil district was to be virtually deserted. According to the U.S. census in 1910 the population of Kanatak was 23. Woman and two children wearing ground-squirrel parkas in Kanatak, By the way, this photo and a parka are on display at the Alutiiq Museum in Kodiak.

3 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 3 Meet our Kanatak Tribal Family Aaron Forshey was born in Lewistown, Pennsylvania on September 8, He is the son of Anthony Forshey, Jr. and the grandson of Evelyn Shangin Forshey, who was born in Kanatak. He has never been to Kanatak or Alaska. He lives in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, where he works at K-mart in the photography department. His hobbies include music, computers, and friends. He loves cars! Savannah Melissa Shanigan was born in Palmer, Alaska on December 8, She is the daughter of Shawn and Samantha Shanigan, the granddaughter of Gordon and Jeanette Shanigan, and the great-granddaughter of Nick and Mary Shanigan. Savannah lives in Wasilla, Alaska with her parents and her dog, Buddy. This fall Savannah will be a 5th grader at Larson Elementary School. Savannah s interests include arts & crafts, reading, writing, volleyball and summer camp. Darion McGowan was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on December 15, He is the son of Tess and Don McGowan, the grandson of Henry F. Forshey, and the great-grandson of Evelyn Shanigan Forshey, who was born in Kanatak. Darion is single and lives in Slatington, Pennsylvania, where he is employed at the Lehigh Valley Zoo. He is attending Lehigh County Community College, hopes to get a teaching degree and eventually become a college professor. Darion s interests include skiing, golfing, hiking, reading and hanging out with friends. Jeremy McGowan was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on March 9, He is the son of Tess and Don McGowan, the grandson of Henry F. Forshey, and the great-grandson of Evelyn Shanigan Forshey, who was born in Kanatak. Jeremy is single and lives in Slatington, Pennsylvania, where he is employed at Weis Market. He is attending Lehigh County Community College, hopes to get a teaching degree and eventually become a high-school teacher. Jeremy s interests include snowboarding, tubing, working out, and hanging out with friends.

4 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 4 Alaska Native History or How Did We Get Here? England was Russia's other serious contender in the North Pacific. In the last half of the 18th century the English were the world's most formidable sea power. The British Admiralty (the Royal Navy) sent seven expeditions around the world. By far England's most accomplished navigator was Captain James Cook, who circumnavigated the globe twice. Cook found and mapped many Pacific islands, including Hawaii. He learned how to treat scurvy, even though he did not know what caused it. He tested the first clock that would keep working during a long sea voyage, thereby making it possible for mariners to compute longitude - the distance they were east and west from land. In 1776 the Admiralty called Cook out of retirement and sent him on a third voyage, this time to the Pacific Northwest Coast. He was directed to find the Northwest Passage, a water route through North America, that geographers hoped would provide an alternative to sailing around South America to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. Searches on the Atlantic side of the continent had found no such route, so Cook was sent to look along the Pacific coast. Ultimately, that voyage would turn tragic, as Cook was killed by Hawaiian Islanders when a fight erupted during his second visit there. Earlier Cook's two ships had sailed along the North American coast from the latitude of present-day Oregon to Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet, on to Unalaska, and along the Alaskan coast through the Bering Strait and finally north to the edge of the ice pack. Cook did not find the Northwest Passage; it wasn't there. Cook provided the first charts of the North American coastline from California to the Arctic, a remarkable achievement. At last everyone knew the shape of North America. During this age of exploration it was common for captains to make a formal "act of possession" when they found lands that no other country had already claimed. When Cook left England he knew the Spanish were planning another voyage to the Northwest Coast, so he made his first claim north of where he thought the Spanish might have reached. He made his claim in Cook Inlet, across the head of Turnagain Arm from present-day Anchorage. Today that point of land on the Kenai Peninsula is named Point Possession. The Natives of Cook Inlet, the Dene Athabascan people, traded fur pelts with Cook's crews for knives and needles. Cook sent a boat to the shore where one of his lieutenants buried an earthen bottle with parchment inside, claiming all of the land drained by the waters of Cook Inlet for England. The bottle has never been found. Cook did not ask the Dene if he might claim their land for England. He assumed the Natives were not capable of understanding the concept of property. He also assumed the Natives would accept European sovereignty over their land, willingly, or by force, if necessary. The Europeans believed that the Natives would be grateful for new European technologies and ideas, especially the idea of Christianity. to be continued...

5 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 5 Spruce Root Hat Awirnaq Woven hats are one of the stunning pieces of headgear once worn by Alutiiq men. Twined from split lengths of spruce root, these waterproof, conical hats had a flat crown and ornate decorations. Anthropologists believe that the Alutiiq artists adopted this style of hats from the Tlingit Indians. Examples of Alutiiq awirnaq in museum collections feature painted designs similar to the form line art of Northwest coast societies. On many, red and black designs depict the face of an animal. In addition to painted images, spruce roots hats, particularly those from Kodiak, featured attachments. Beads and dentalium shells were sewn to the surface of hats in symmetrical patterns and bundles of sea lion whiskers were attached to their sides. Historic sources indicate that it was believed these hats had the power to attract sea otters; therefore, they were worn for hunting. In fact, the animal images painted on many may reflect helping spirits. Spruce root hats were symbols of power and prestige. They were considered heirlooms and passed down through families. The spruce roots used to weave hats, as well as a variety of baskets, knapsacks, and quivers, were typically collected in spring. With the help of a digging stick, women pulled young roots from shallow soil. After heating the roots briefly to soften their sap, they pealed off the outer brown bark. The pale interior of the root was then split with a fingernail to form narrow strands, and the root's core discarded. Roots were then soaked in water to make them pliable and bundled for later use. Elders recall that spruce root hats were woven until the 1920s.

6 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 6 There are 51 varieties of berries in Alaska, only one of which, the baneberry, is poisonous. Needless to say, berries have always been an important food source to Alaska Native people. But berry-picking is much more than that. To an Alaska Native, berry-picking provides not only healthy, antioxidant-rich food, but also continuation of Native traditions, healthy exercise outdoors, and fun with family and friends. Berry-picking plays an important role in Alaska Native culture, too. Often, it is a rite of passage, representing the steps from childhood to becoming a contributing member of the family and community, as well as a way to pass on the values of respect for family and the land. When a child fills a first container unaided, usually around the age 5, it is a time of celebration. Berries are typically gathered by groups of related women and children. Men may accompany the pickers to provide protection from bears or to hunt nearby. (Note: Bears are always an issue when berry-picking in Alaska, as they like berries, too; one should always sing or talk loudly to let the bears know a human is also picking.) Children are taught to respect berry patches. Over-picking, breaking branches, stepping on plants, or eating too many berries are considered poor etiquette. Elders always say, when a place is left, it should be left as if a berry-picker were never there. In the old days, berry fields like salmon streams were hereditary property in Native families or clans. Alutiiq people harvest seventeen varieties of berries, which are used for food, medicine, and natural dyes. Salmonberries are collected in the largest quantities. Other favorites are crowberries, low-bush cranberries, and blueberries. Berry-picking begins in late June and continues well into the fall. People often wait to pick certain varieties till October or November - when they have been sweetened by a frost. In the past, families collected up to fifty pounds of berries for winter use. They were preserved in seal oil and stored in dried seal stomachs. Today, Alutiiq people store berries in mason jars of cooking oil or by freezing them in containers. Traditional Alutiiq ice cream, known as akutaq, is also made from the berries. Like the first fresh fish in the spring, my husband Gordon always looked forward to the arrival of berry-picking season. We had our favorite spots in Hatcher Pass, just a bit north of Wasilla. We rounded up the buckets, the berry-pickers, and the grandkids and off we went for the day. Gordon could fill a 5-gallon bucket in no time; I was much slower. On our way home, Gordon always stopped at a windy spot and poured the berries from one bucket to the other several times. In the Native way, he used wind energy to clean the leaves and twigs out of his berries! Once we were home, the berries were washed and used to make akutaq. Gordon put meal-size portions in quart-size plastic bags and froze them. Here is Gordon s akutaq recipe: 2 quarts berries (blueberries, black (crow) berries, salmon berries, strawberries, raspberries) ½ cup Crisco shortening 1 cup granulated sugar 4 tablespoons water Keeping Body and Soul Together, the Native Way In a bowl combine shortening with sugar and water. Mix with hands until creamy. Add berries and mix together. If desired, add more sugar to taste. This can be frozen in plastic freezer bags. Serve with smoked salmon strips. Note: Plain vanilla yogurt can be substituted for the Crisco for a different taste.

7 N AT IVE T R I BE O F K AN AT AK Tribal Happenings P AGE 7 Celebrating those special moments in our lives. ***Shawn Shanigan celebrated his 32nd birthday on July 6, Do you think he still has an aversion to ***Happy birthday to Rhonda Wagner, yellow party hats? (Got you! Love, your mom.) who celebrated her 46th birthday on July 12, ***Correction to the June newsletter: Sophia Myers submitted the photo of Jake Gregory and family, not Frieda Byars as reported. ***Happy birthday to Henry M. Forshey, who celebrated his 38th birthday on July 13, ***Tess McGowan reports that the Second Annual Forshey Family Reunion will be July 30, 2011 from ***Happy birthday to Jessica Forshey, noon to 3:00 pm at the Knoebels Amusement Park who celebrated her 20th birthday on July 7, Pavilion P1, Elysburg, Pennsylvania.. Each family is asked to bring enough picnic food for the family, but plan to set it out buffet-style for all to share. ***Henry F. Forshey submitted this photo of the tribe s boat, Little Star. Included in the photo are trib- ***Happy birthday to Dawn Rane, who celal members Shawn Shanigan, Kathy Lakoduk, Tess ebrated her 43rd birthday on July 19, McGowan, Henry Forshey, Terrence Jason Shanigan and baby Finn Shanigan. ***Tess McGowan submitted this photo of her dad Henry F. Forshey.

8 N AT IVE T R I BE O F K AN AT AK Tribal Happenings P AGE 8 Celebrating those special moments in our lives. Pictured to the left are tribal members Savannah Shanigan, Kathy Lakoduk, Bristol Shanigan, and Terrence Jason Shanigan on the Little Star. Do you need assistance? The Native Tribe of Kanatak may be able to help. Contact the executive director Tess McGowan or the tribal administrator Shawn Shanigan for additional details regarding applications and qualifications. Childhood Memories from Frieda Shanigan Byars Since a lot of Kanatak people were relocated to other villages, these stories are the way they lived: Each spring, villages in Bristol Bay eagerly awaited the scows and barges that would bring cannery workers in for the summer. And these boats also included new supplies for the cannery stores. There was fresh produce, potatoes, onions and meat for the cannery crew and for purchase by the villagers. It was a welcome change from the winter fare of caribou, moose, ptarmigan, etc. Everyone was tired of instant potatoes and very hungry for fresh produce. Most fishermen opened a charge account at the store and hoped for a good fishing year to pay the bills at the end of summer and have enough left over to put in their winter grubstake list. When the barges came back up in the fall, they would have all the fuel and groceries that were ordered by each family. That was also a very exciting time of year. All villagers would meet the barges at high tide and unload their particular winter supply. Even the children had to help unload and then put the groceries away. This was also the time for gathering berries and plucking geese and wild fowl. Everyone would get together when all work was completed and have a large banquet-like meal, with singing and dancing. We kids liked that time of year a lot, although one of our jobs was to pick berries every day. The entire town would get together and play miachi (Eskimo baseball). Those games would go on forever, morning to late night. Our meals then mainly consisted of fresh goose, agutuk, salmon and fresh smoked fish. We were tired of cannery food by then, and our Native fare was so welcomed as a change of pace. It was a wonderful and happy time of year. It was the preparing time for the long, cold, dark winter. Most high school children would eagerly await their return to boarding school in August. But that will be a story for another time.

9 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 9 Programs Available through Kanatak Do you need help with housing? If you are a member in good standing with the Native Tribe of Kanatak and meet certain income requirements, you may be eligible for assistance from the Bristol Bay Housing Authority. The income requirements are established by HUD and vary depending on the place of residence and the number of family members. For example, to meet the income eligibility standards in the Mat-Su borough, where Wasilla is located, the yearly income for a family of three can be no more than $54,450; yet, if that same family of three resided in the Anchorage area, that maximum would be $58,000. Through BBHA, there are currently programs for rental assistance, utility vouchers, home repairs, downpayment assistance for home purchase and crime prevention/youth or cultural activities. There is also the option for the Kanatak tribal council to assess the memberships housing needs and create other programs in the future, subject to federal guidelines and BBHA approval. To apply, you must fill out an 18-page application which includes supplying proof of income, such as yearly income tax forms. The application is available at the BBHA website: Phone numbers for contact with either the King Salmon or Dillingham offices are also available at the above-listed website. Once your application is complete, mail it to this address: Bristol Bay Housing Authority PO Box 50 Dillingham, Alaska Do NOT mail your application to the Kanatak tribal office! Native Tribe of Kanatak Now that compact funding through BBNA for small & needy tribes is restored, the following programs, based upon the budget passed by the tribal council on April 5, are available for the membership: Education Program: Funds to be awarded to eligible tribal members seeking higher education and/or specific job-skill training required for employment/certification. Tribal Youth Activity Program: Funds to be awarded to eligible tribal members between the ages of 1-18 for extracurricular activities, such as school sports, boy/girl scouts, summer or sports camps, music lessons, dance lessons, etc. Emergency Assistance Program: Funds for tribal members unexpected emergencies that threaten basic quality of life, such as fire damage, leaking roof, nonfunctioning furnace, water heater, etc. (Low-income members should seek this assistance through BBHA.) Wellness Program: Funds for education and promotion of healthy living, including suicide prevention, alcohol/drug prevention and tobacco-use prevention. Tribal Burial Assistance Program: Funds to be awarded to help with final expenses of tribal members who were in good standing with the tribe at the time of passing; maximum award per deceased member = $1,500. Tribal Social Activity Fund: Funds for 2 activities directors to create and organize quarterly tribal social activities in both Alaska and the Lower 48. Culture Program: Funds to promote culture and communication among tribal members. These programs generally require the following: completed tribal membership/enrollment (member in good-standing) completed application for program documentation of need/amount, bids where requested, and proof/receipts of expenditures name/address of 3rd party to whom checks will be issued; as a rule, checks are not issued directly to tribal members. Contact the executive director, tribal administrator or Kanatak tribal council for additional information about these programs.

10 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 10 Passing Down the Art Chris Forshey is a young man barely 29 but wise beyond his years. Already he realizes that art comes in many forms. When most people think of art, they tend to think of fine art and the great masters, such as Picasso, Rubens, or Michelangelo. But Chris sees art all around us. He says, I have started to look at art in different ways. I see my little brother put a wrench to a motor until it purrs like a kitten; I listen as my older brother tells me that anything can be fixed with the proper use of a hammer and watch him do it; I listen to my father tell a story that makes us all laugh and shake our heads. I believe art is anything you put your heart into. Chris has enjoyed expressing his art through drawing since he was old enough to hold a pencil. For example, Chris drew the eagle shown here in chalk; he and his sister Chantel completed the coloring in 45 minutes, but it only took the rain about 20 seconds to wash it all away! But that does not diminish their heart in the piece. Chris works as a machinist. His artistic spirit even shows itself there, such as in his selection of the right tones of metals to create a pleasing piece of iron-work. But probably his most unlikely artistic expression to date was his prize-winning wedding cake. But that really shouldn t be surprising it is culinary arts, after all! On the side to supplement his income and for plain artistic fun, Chris does tattooing. He tends to charge his customers based on their ability to pay and their appreciation of his art work. One of his customers favorite motifs is feathers; Chris admits doing so many feathers does get tedious. Recently, he finished a wolf-howling-atmoon tattoo that he s proud to claim. Look at the above photo and it s clear that Chris enjoys wearing tattoos, too. He s interested in adding some Alutiiq motifs to his gallery maybe a mask. Good choice, Chris. All of that practice with feathers will certainly accentuate an Alutiiq mask! Timothy Forshey, Sr. is Chris father. Chris lives in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, where he has a beautiful little girl named Airyannah. Yes, he is teaching his daughter, as well as his little sister the basics of art. Chris says, Be it with a paint brush, hammer, or a humorous story, I think it is important to pass down the art, and I hope you will try to pass it along as well.

11 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 11 Alaska Territorial Guard Before World War II, Alaska was regarded by US military decision makers as too distant from the contiguous United States to effectively protect, and of little strategic importance. "...the mainland of Alaska is so remote from the strategic areas of the Pacific that it is difficult to conceive of circumstances in which air operations there from would contribute materially to the national defense." True to the viewpoint, the US Army reassigned all Alaska National Guard units out of Alaska to Washington State in August Alaska was now without military reserves or any form of Home Guard. In the face of an encroaching enemy, the defense of nearly 34,000 miles (55,000 km) of US coastline was left to the best efforts of unorganized local citizens and already overworked seasonal laborers. That enemy was demonstrating a definite interest in taking Alaska. In the early months of 1942, a Japanese Navy reconnaissance unit was caught on film making detailed surveys of Alaska coastline. Enemy combatants strode unopposed onto American soil and made inquiries among the populace about the local economy. Enemy aircraft and submarine sightings were common, inspiring great fear among the locals, and culminating in the raid on Dutch Harbor and the occupation of the Aleutian Islands of Attu, Kiska and Adak that June. The Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG) or Eskimo Scouts was a military reserve force component of the US Army, organized in 1942 in response to attacks on American soil in Hawaii and occupation of parts of Alaska by Japan during World War II. There was some initial controversy in recruiting and arming Alaska Natives as at the time there was legal and social segregation by race across Alaska. The participation of Alaska Natives in the military during World War II, in spite of these bitter circumstances, speaks well of the patriotism and hopefulness of that generation of Alaska Natives. The ATG operated until ,368 volunteers who served without pay were enrolled from 107 communities throughout Alaska, in addition to a paid staff of 21, according to an official roster. Along with the men were 27 or more women, most of whom served as nurses. The ages of members at enrollment ranged from 80 years old to as young as twelve (both extremes occurring mostly in sparsely populated areas). As volunteers the Alaska Territorial Guard members were those that were too young or too old to be drafted during WWII. One first-hand estimate states that around 20,000 Alaskans participated, officially or otherwise, in ATG reconnaissance or support activities. The ATG served many vital strategic purposes to the entire Allied effort during World War II: They safeguarded the only source of the strategic metal platinum in the Western Hemisphere against Japanese attack. They secured the terrain around the vital Lend-Lease air route between the United States and Russia. They placed and maintained survival caches primarily along transportation corridors and coastal regions. In addition to official duties, ATG members are noted for actively and successfully promoting racial integration within US military forces, and racial equality within the communities they protected. In 2000 all ATG members were granted US veteran status by law, acknowledging the contribution of the ATG, some of whose members are still living. But efforts to find the surviving ATG members and assist them through the application process are difficult due to lack of written records, oral cultures, lack of trained staff, passage of time, and unclear bureaucracies and advocates.

12 Joe and Ranae Booher Nick Forshey Bristol Shanigan s first fish Father and son: Henry M. and Henry F. Forshey Contribute photos at jshanigan@hotmail.com Right-Clicked Photos of tribal members Happy birthday, Shawn Randolph Shanigan! Evelyn Shanigan Forshey Alex and Tony Forshey

13 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 13 Kanatak Kids The Alutiiq wore special clothing when hunting or traveling by kayak, also known as a bidarka. One of these special items was the gut-skin coat, kanaglluk in Aluttiq or kamleika in Russian. These coats were made of stripes of bear and/or sea mammal intestines. Alutiiq sewers stitched pieces of beach grass into every seam. The grass absorbed water, swelled, and stopped more water from entering the garment. This is how Alutiiq hunters were able to stay dry and avoid hypothermia. Color the coat tan and accent with bits of colored feathers and fur. Do you remember the only 4 colors in the Alutiiq language?

14 N ATIVE TRIBE OF KANATAK P AGE 14 President Terrence Jason Shanigan ktcpresident@yahoo.com Vice-President Alex Giacometti ktcvicepresident@yahoo.com Contact Information Secretary/Treasurer Kathy Lakoduk ktctreasurer@yahoo.com Council Member Henry F. Forshey ktcplanning@yahoo.com Council Member Shawn Shanigan ktcoperations@yahoo.com Executive Director Tess McGowan tessmcgowan@ymail.com or Tribal Administrator Shawn Shanigan kanatak@mtaonline.net Newsletter Editor Jeanette Shanigan jshanigan@hotmail.com Mailing Address: Native Tribe of Kanatak PO Box Wasilla, Alaska Physical Address of Office: 1251 Copper Creek Road Wasilla, Alaska