Sitka National Historical Park Grant: Researching the Tlingit Role in Sitka’s History

Of the suite of park studies dating back to the 1980s, only one is entirely devoted to the Tlingit people, and that example is limited to traditional uses of the Indian River area. The story of the Kiksadi and other clans in the region is a much larger theme and deserves greater attention. The Tlingit of southeast Alaska have a deep history and cultural heritage that includes a vibrant artistic tradition, a history of long-distance trade and slaving expeditions, a complex social organization and cosmology, and an unusual historical relationship with Russian, Spanish, French, British, and American explorers and fur traders. Although the Tlingit suffered a military defeat at Sitka in 1804, they were victorious elsewhere, and managed to negotiate peace with the Russians over time. Their strength and relative autonomy later made Tlingit leaders instrumental in Alaska Native civil rights and land claims.

The relationship between the indigenous Tlingit and the invading Russians is challenging to describe, and outsiders often come to simplistic conclusions. A study is necessary to explain to a broad public that the Tlingit were a hugely successful cultural force before the arrival of the Russians and that their uneasy coexistence at Sitka included violent clashes, religious mingling, intermarriage, trade relationships, and dependence on each other for food, clothing, furs, and other essentials. In 1867 when Russian Alaska became American Alaska, the Tlingit of Sitka remained and watched as the Russians departed. Although the Tlingit homeland was â¿¿absorbed⿝ into the growing American realm, many of the same land-rights and land-tenure issues remained. In order for visitors to Sitka National Historical Park to fully understand the phenomenon of Russian America, they need to know the story of the Tlingit—both at an introductory level through interpretive materials and in more scholarly (but accessible) publications.

This project will research and develop a historical work that describes the dominant role of Tlingit clans in much of southeast Alaska in the pre-contact period, the interactions of Tlingit people with outsiders (Europeans and other Alaska Natives), and the role of the Tlingit in the operations of the Russian-American Company at Sitka.