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Patagonia Video – The Chilkat’s Fight Against the Palmer Project

Arial View of Chilkat Valley

Tim Gibbins   |   Sep 5, 2019

Klukwan is a village of 90 people in Southeast Alaska that’s home to the Chilkat Indian Village, a federally recognized tribe, on the banks of the Chilkat River 22 miles north of Haines, Alaska. The Chilkat have lived in the Chilkat Valley for over 2,000 years. It’s a land of natural bounty. The braided glacial river hosts all five species of wild Pacific salmon, and the people of the Chilkat Indian Village live a subsistence lifestyle based on the salmon, berries and wild game, such as moose, that live in the valley. The natural health of this ecosystem is now under threat by Constantine Metal Resources, a Canadian mining company that is in the advanced exploration stages of a copper, zinc, gold and silver mine near the headwaters of the Chilkat River.

Read More on the Patagonia website

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Two rehabilitated eagles return to the wild during the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival | KHNS

Sidney Campbell and Jack Strong help a lucky bidder release a bald eagle into the wild. (Henry Leasia / KHNS)

Two rehabilitated eagles were reintroduced to the wild this weekend during the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival’s Flight for Freedom event. The eagles were released at Klukwan’s Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center during a ceremony that included singing, dancing and storytelling.

Read More on the KHNS website

Image: Sidney Campbell and Jack Strong help a lucky bidder release a bald eagle into the wild. (Henry Leasia / KHNS)

 

Jack and Daniel at the Bald Eagle Festival
Photo by Tom Ganner
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Salmon Camp 2017

2017 Camp Dates – July 20th – July 24th

Klukwan Salmon Camp Schedule:

Note: Folks from out of town should plan on arriving in Klukwan a day before camp starts as we start at 9:00 on Monday morning.  Departure should be scheduled for the day after camp ends—around noon, because the jarred smoke salmon cannot be packed while it is still warm and will be distributed on the day of departure.

Day 1:

9:00 am Orientation—gather at the Camp Clan House

9:40-12:00 Usually we cut fresh salmon for both brine smoked  and  dry fish on this day, but if there aren’t enough salmon to do both, we will cut only for dry fish because it usually takes longer than smoked.

12:00 Lunch either at Kim’s House or the Hospitality House

Day 2: 

9:00 Opening Session and Tlingit Language at the Camp Clan House:

9:20- 12:00  On this day we will cut the dried salmon strips “atxeeshi” and “Naayadi” or half-dried salmon on the skin.  If we didn’t have enough salmon the first day we will also cut some fresh salmon on the second day for the brine smoked.

1:30-9:00 pm –Tend fire in smoke house and move/turn  dryfish strips to prevent the fish from sticking to the poles—assign groups of two for every 1.5 hours

12:00 Lunch at Kim’s, or the Hospitality House

Day 3:

9:00 – Opening Session and Tlingit Language at the Camp Clan House:

9:20 – Take salmon out of the brine, rinse and cut each fillet in half then quarters leaving the quarter strips attached at the top.  Then the strips are laid out in the smoke house on racks in Lani & Jones’ Smoke House. 

1:30-9:00 pm – Tend fire in  both smoke houses—assign groups of two for every 1.5 hours

Day 4:

9:00 – Opening Session and Tlingit Language at the Camp Clan House:

9:20- 4:00pm – Cut fresh salmon at the camp, put in salt brine for one hour.  Move to Hosp House for jar washing, lunch and pressure processing

1:30-9:00 pm – Continue to tend fire in smoke houses—assign groups of two for every 1.5 hours

Day 5:

9:00 – Opening Session and Tlingit Language at the Camp Clan House:

9:20-4:00pm – Remove Smoked fish from Jones and Lani’s Smokehouse,  Bring to the Hospitality House Kitchen for cutting, filling jars, and pressure processing.  

9:00-1:00 – continue to tend fire at camp smokehouse until after the smoked fish is in the pressure pots.  Then go back to smoke house to get Naayadi and strips to package in zip lock bags or vacuum seal

 

Notes:  People should come prepared for wet or sunny weather.  Rain coats, hoodies, boots and tennis shoes.  Also, wear your grubby clothes to camp so you don’t have to worry about fish blood staining your clothing. It would also be a good idea to bring some bug spray.  

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A Native Village In Alaska Where The Past Is Key To The Future : NPR

All Things Considered 
What does it mean to lose your land, your language, and your heritage?
For Alaska Natives, these are existential threats.
On a trip to Southeast Alaska, I traveled to one village that is finding new ways to survive: Klukwan, ancestral home of the Tlingit tribe.
Read the full article…

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Bald Eagle Festival 2016

Join us for a Special Event Week during Bald Eagle Festival 2016

November 14-18 – 9:30am to 3:00pm

We will be offering guided tours by Lani Hotch from 10 am to 11 am, Monday through Friday.

Tickets for this special event will be sold at the Center in Klukwan from 9:30 am to 10:00 am for $50 during the week of the festival. Lunch included with purchase of these special tours.

A different story will be featured each day. 

Schedule of Events for Bald Eagle Festival Week

Monday

  • 9:30am Ticket Sales for Tour with Lani Hotch
  • 10 am Tour with Lani Hotch – Raven, King Salmon and the Jade Adze story in Whale House
  • 11am Heritage Center opens for self guided tours
  • 11 am – 2 pm Serving Lunch @ Hospitality House prepared by Tony Strong (Soup and Sandwich $12.00)
  • 3pm Heritage Center Closes

Tuesday

  • 9:30am Ticket Sales for Tour with Lani Hotch
  • 10 am Tour with Lani Hotch – Sea Creature story in Whale House
  • 11am Heritage Center opens for self guided tours
  • 11 am – 2 pm serving Lunch @  Hospitality House prepared by Tony Strong (Soup and Sandwich $12.00)
  • 3pm Heritage Center Closes

Wednesday

  • 9:30am Ticket Sales for Tour with Lani Hotch
  • 10 am Tour with Lani Hotch – The Girl Who Raised the Woodworm story in the Whale House
  • 11am Heritage Center opens for self guided tours
  • 11 am – 2 pm Serving Lunch @  pHospitality House repared by Tony Strong (Soup and Sandwich $12.00)
  • 3pm Heritage Center Closes

Thursday

  • 9:30am Ticket Sales for Tour with Lani Hotch
  • 10 am Tour with Lani Hotch – Strong Man Talk story in the Whale House
  • 11am Heritage Center opens for self guided tours
  • 11 am – Serving Lunch @  Hospitality House prepared by Tony Strong (Soup and Sandwich $12.00)
  • 3pm Heritage Center Closes

Friday

  • 9:30am Ticket Sales for Tour with Lani Hotch
  • 10 am Tour with Lani Hotch – Rain Screen Talk story in the Whale House
  • 11am Heritage Center opens for self guided tours
  • 11 am – 2 pm Serving Lunch @  Hospitality House prepared by Tony Strong (Soup and Sandwich $12.00)
  • 1 pm: Why the Eagles Congregate Here talk with Scott Ramsey in Center’s Classroom*
  • 3pm Heritage Center Closes

* There are many unique and profound factors that come together to produce the conditions that help to bring the world’s largest congregation of Bald Eagles to the front door step of Klukwan and the Bald Eagle Preserve. Come join us as we discuss some of these fascinating aspects of this valley and explore how they intertwine to draw these majestic birds from surrounding areas to this special location.   Suggested Donation for this lecure is $10.

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Whale House posts worth the pilgrimage

ADN.com September 14 by Mike Dunham
I missed the Homer hoopla because of a quick road trip to Haines, or rather to Klukwan, the Tlingit village 20 miles north of the city. Since learning of the opening of the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center this spring I had made it a priority to get there as soon as possible to see the ancient carved pillars from the Whale House. The sculptures are 200 years old or older. They were the subject of several well-known photographs made around 1890-1900, and a five-part series published in the Dispatch News some years ago, now available at the Alaska Native Knowledge Network website.
Read the full story… (scroll down about 6 paragraphs)