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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE September 10, 2005
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| August 19, 2005 |
Seward, Alaska – Cultural Exchange with the Qutekcak Native Tribe of Alaska |
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| Peace Boat participants gather with Qutekcak tribal members. |
Due to the ravaging effects of diseases (smallpox, measles, tuberculosis, venereal diseases and pneumonia) introduced by white settlers, as well as the assimilation policies imposed by both the Russian and US governments from the 1700s through to the 1950s, Native (indigenous) people account for only 15.6% Alaska’s total population. This is a relatively small number, considering the region now known as Alaska was once inhabited solely by Native tribes. After 126 years of Russian influence, and once Alaska officially became part of the United States, the Native people largely sought to join the economic, social and political life of Alaska, USA. However, there has recently been a significant revival of interest in Native culture, especially among new generations who wish to honor their ancestors. It was this interest which brought a group of Peace Boat participants to visit the Qutekcak Native Tribal Community to learn more about the history and revival of Native culture in Alaska. |
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| Medicine bags handmade by tribal youth and elders were given out as gifts of friendship. |
A town of 4,000 inhabitants, Seward is home to 200 tribal members of the Qutekcak Native Tribal Organization. The tribe unifies the tribes of the Port William Sound region, including the Aleut, Alu’utiq, Athabaskan, Inupiaq, Tlingit and Yupik. The organization’s aim is to promote unity, self-determination, and empowerment to their members and the other 800 Native peoples who reside in the Eastern Kenai Peninsula. Reflecting this commitment, their programmes provide services that enhance the mental, physical and spiritual well-being and harmony of the people, land and heritage. The programmes include childcare assistance, scholarships, job training, Native youth groups, cultural groups, senior activities, cultural outreach and more. |
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| Maranda Nelson (left), Qutekcak board member, spoke about Native tribes in Seward. |
Wearing a traditional Ainu (indigenous people from Hokkaido, Japan) headband she received from a previous Peace Boat visit, Ms. Maranda Nelson, a board member of the Qutekcak Native Tribe, spoke about the history of Native tribes in Seward. Initially, before and during World War Two, many orphans from various Native tribes in the region were brought to Seward’s Jesse Lee Home orphanage. Their parents either succumbed to disease, or were killed by rival tribes, or by the weapons of white settlers. Benny Benson, one of these orphans, designed the state flag of Alaska, thus giving Seward the distinction of being the “home of the state flag”. Seward was also home to the Tuberculosis hospice, where Native people suffering from the epidemic were taken for treatment. |
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| Qutekcak Native Tribe Youth Drum and Dance Group perform with Peace Boat participants. |
“In the 1950s, my parents spoke Athabaskan, not English, so it was hard for them to fit in and they faced discrimination,” explained Ms. Nelson. “Growing up, I remember the main street here had signs in the shops that said ‘No Natives. No Dogs’”. Ms. Nelson recalled her time in residential schools, which were set up by Christian missionaries. At these boarding schools, Native children were forced to assimilate by negating their culture and languages. Despite this atmosphere of discrimination and assimilation, the Native tribes managed to hide and preserve their culture in their villages through oral history. However, it was not until the 1970s when Native tribes received the right to practice their culture when the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was signed in 1971. The Act granted title to approximately 44 million acres of land as well as monetary compensation to the Native people. With this endorsement, the Native tribes of Alaska began to proudly rebuild their tangible and spiritual community heritage. |
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| Lucky taiko performers were given native drums as gifts from Melanee Stevens (center), Qutekcak youth coordinator. |
Native dances and drums were revived as an important element of tangible cultural heritage, and Peace Boat participants enjoyed performances by the Qutekcak Native Tribe Youth Drum and Dance Group. The group was formed in July 2003 when tribal teen athletes returned from the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics. Inspired by dances performed together by youth and elders from other tribes, the Qutekcak teens requested the formation of the dance and drum group so that they, too, could dance with their elders. Together Peace Boat participants and the Qutekcak members shared traditional dances and traditional games. Qu’ayana (thank you), Qutekcak Tribal members! (For more information about the Qutekcak Native Tribe, contact Connie Pavloff, Tribal Administrator, at tribaladmin{a}qutekcak.net or Melanee Stevens, the youth coordinator, at youth{a}qutekcak.net. |
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