Ketchikan and Saxman

We arrived in Ketchikan just in time to meet our Tlinget native guide for our tour of Ketchikan and Saxman Village.  The Tlinget people are interesting as, although they are "Native Americans", they have a culture which is in many ways different from the other "Native American" tribes from Canadian and the United States.  For example, the Tlinget do not live on "Indian" reservations but have established Tlinget corporations to manage tribal property.  The Tlinget live among the general population in their native territory: the Alaskan Panhandle, southern Yukon Territory and western British Columbia.  The Tlinget establish villages, carve totem poles and build communal lodge houses.  They rely on the sea for much of their food, particularly salmon.  Although once recognized as fierce warriors who aggressively defended their territory, they never engaged in warfare with the Canadian or US military forces.  The Tlinget were never forcibly moved to reservations.

Alaskan Territorial Governor William H. Seward (US Secretary of State in 1867)

Saxman lies adjacent to Ketchikan and its population is predominantly Tlinget.  It is the home of a large collection of Tlinget totems, many of which were moved there from other sites which were formerly Tlinget villages but are now abandoned.  Totem poles serve many functions, such as, recording clan lineages and significant historical events, recounting legends, commemorating ancestors, welcoming guests and ridiculing offenders. 


One notorious "shame totem" located in Saxman is the Seward Shame Pole upon the top of which is carved an unflattering image of William H. Seward who was the US Secretary of State responsible for the purchase of Alaska from Russia and who later became the Governor of the Territory of Alaska.  The Tlinget wanted to welcome and show their respect for the newly appointed Governor Seward by inviting him to a potlach in his honor.  Governor Seward attended more than one potlach given in his honor and received many gifts from the Tlingets at the potlachs.  His dishonor came from not reciprocating by hosting a potlach himself and inviting those who hosted him.  This failure to do so was a grievous social failure.  As a result, the Tlinget raised a "shame pole" to proclaim their displeasure with Governor Seward for his lack of courtesy and respect for the Tlinget.  This pole will remain in place until one of Governor Seward's descendants makes amends by hosting a potlach and providing gifts of equal or greater value than those received by Governor Seward.  Allegedly, a great-grandson of William Seward learned of this "shame pole" while on tour in Saxman/Ketchican and offered to rectify this social faux pas until he was informed it would cost well over a million dollars to do so as the gifts presented to his great-grandfather were now part of museum collections and are highly valued.  The Seward "shame pole" will most likely remain in place for as long as the Tlinget exist.  The "shame pole" cannot be brought down until full restitution is made.

Saxman Village Totem

Tlinget Lodge House

Besides viewing the totems, we were given a tour of the master carver's workshop and the village's lodge.  Our guide was very proud of his heritage and shared with us many stories and provided insights to Tlinget life that only a Tlinget native could relate.  Our private tour which we booked before the start of our vacation was much more rewarding than that offered through the cruise line.

Creek Street

We completed our stay with a walking tour of Ketchikan.  We strolled down Creek Street which once was notorious for its numerous brothels and saloons.  Today, it is a walkway lined with shops catering to the tourists.  We had a beer at the Bawden Street Brewing Company where we sampled some of the local brews while engaging some members assigned to the Ketchikan Coast Guard station. It was a fun time ashore.  We returned to the Westerdam in time to rest before dinner and the night's on-board entertainment.  The feature act was the most talented illusionist we have seen.  Check James Cielen out on YouTube: