NATIVE PEOPLES

The islands of Southeast Alaska are home to three linguistic groups of native people.  The Tlingit are the largest group, historically, inhabiting most of what is today the "panhandle".  The Tshimshian lived along the rivers, such as the Skeena -- the arteries of trade into the interior mountains.  

The Haida people originated on the Queen Charlotte Islands, but moved north to inhabit the southern "panhandle" in recent times.  Each group holds in common similar traditions -- the carving of totem poles, the great longhouses and the potlatch ceremony.

Some of the old villages are still inhabited.

Other sites have been abandoned for the forest to reclaim.  Intricately carved totem poles now lie on the ground.  The forest and moss is slowly covering these incredible pieces of art, however, their power and spirit still remain. 

In the larger communities we can see some of the finest totem poles, moved from the old villages for safekeeping.  As magnificent art, they still captivate the observer.  There are numerous native petroglyph (rock carving) and pictograph (rock painting) sites throughout the area, that are fascinating to view.

Alaska is one of the few refuges left in North America for the grizzly or brown bear.  On Admiralty Island, it is calculated there is one brown bear for every square mile -- almost as many bears as there are eagles. 

It is interesting to note, that some of the larger islands in Southeast Alaska have only brown bears -- the black bears and wolves having been relegated to the mainland by a peculiarity of glaciation.  After hibernation, every spring the bears feed on the new vegetation growing around waterways.  By mid-summer, when the salmon start to spawn up the many creeks, the bears congregate for the easy fishing and ripening berries.

An Alaskan brown(species of Grizzly) bear fishing in Anan Creek.

Wild bears require our respect. 

Most have had little if any contact with humans.  They tend to be shy and move away from people.   Nonetheless, they do not necessarily fear humans either, and if surprised or agitated can be aggressive.  As around all wild animals, care is required to be safe.  These magnificent creatures have not learned to live with human development.   Instead, their range continues to shrink back. The question of whether humans and the magnificent brown bear can co-exist is still up for debate.

Icebergs that have broken off the North Sawyer Glacier
in Tracy Arm.

GLACIERS

A valley glacier is a vast accumulation of snow and ice slowly flowing downhill from a mountain ice field.  Continuously flowing downhill, it scrapes the bottom and sides of the valley, picking up rocks and sediment, forming a deep, U-shaped valley. 

If these glaciers advance far enough to eventually reach the sea, they are called tidewater glaciers.  Large sections of the glacier often break off, or calve, directly into the salt water and become icebergs.

HISTORY

The Russians, led by Vitus Bering were the first non-natives to discover the wealth of Alaska.  The discovery of the sea otter with its incredibly rich pelt started a rush to the North Pacific.  The Russians set up their capital at Sitka, near Frederick Sound and for many years it flourished.  The British Hudson Bay Company trading post spread from the Columbia River in the south, right across the continent.  for a time, they operated Fort Stikine, at the present site of Wrangell.  With the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, a new era began.   Gold was discovered in the Yukon, and the Inside Passage from Seattle was one of the major routes for the prospectors.  Many never made it to the gold fields, and settled along the coast.  Salmon brought the next 'rush', and for a period there were canneries in every small community.  Salmon stocks were seriously depleted and now careful management and enhancement programs must take a long-term approach.