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Southeast Alaska village of Kake welcomes artifacts — some over 200 years old — back home

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Southeast Alaska village of Kake welcomes artifacts — some over 200 years old — back home


Nearing the tip of his flight from Seattle to Juneau, Frank Hughes regarded out his aircraft window to the bottom under the place the define of the Organized Village of Kake slowly appeared beneath him.

An pleasure inbuilt him, one which he stated made him really feel like his coronary heart had simply skipped a beat. Although Hughes has lived within the small Southeast Alaska Native village for years and has come and gone from it too many instances to depend, this time was totally different — as a result of he wasn’t alone in coming dwelling.

Within the stomach of the aircraft sat a sturdy black bin locked by zip ties and scattered with fragile stickers holding 25 Alaska Native artifacts starting from spruceroot-woven baskets to ceremonial paddles to headdresses that had been taken from the village within the early 1900s.

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Most of the items are estimated to be greater than 200 years previous.

“We’re going dwelling,” Hughes stated. “These artifacts are coming dwelling.”

Since 2018, Hughes has labored to carry the collections of artifacts that had been discovered at George Fox College in Oregon again to Kake after discovering their existence whereas doing analysis for the Native American Grave Safety and Repatriation Act for which he served as coordinator. Hughes stated throughout his work for NAGPRA he had finished many Indigenous artifact repatriations throughout the nation, however stated he couldn’t consider it when he got here throughout the artifacts from Kake.

Now, after almost 5 years of ready, Hughes, together with Lincoln Bean, vice chairman for the Organized Village of Kake, flew to the college this month to retrieve the artifacts and convey them dwelling. The pair and the bin of artifacts made stops in Seattle and Juneau earlier than heading to Kake on Nov. 18.

“After I checked out them, it was like taking a look at my previous and my elders,” Bean stated. “It’s a few of the most stunning artwork of weaving, headdresses I’ve by no means seen earlier than. The apron for dancing, with a few of the most intricate, stunning beadwork you’ve ever seen in your life.”

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[Joy and healing: Anaktuvuk Pass elders return the remains of a Nunamiut man to the village]

How the gathering of this small Southeast Alaska village’s cultural artifacts ended up almost 1,000 miles away, saved off-display at what payments itself because the No. 1 Christian faculty in Oregon, is up for debate, Hughes and Bean defined.

The pair stated they consider that a few of the artifacts could have been given as a present to guests of the village. They stated it’s extra doubtless, nevertheless, that the majority had been taken by the Non secular Society of Buddies in Alaska — also referred to as Quakers — who constructed a mission within the village in late 1891, then left after the constructing was handed over to the Kake Memorial Presbyterian church in 1912.

“They minimize it out and took it,” Hughes stated a couple of picket masks that was a part of the gathering of artifacts repatriated. The piece was doubtless the oldest of the gathering and served as a marker on a tree figuring out the territory. He stated the masks must have been minimize out of the physique of the tree to be eliminated.

Quakers had been missionaries in Alaska who through the 1800s and 1900s ran about 30 boarding faculties for Indigenous youngsters within the U.S. and its territories, together with the Douglas Island Buddies Mission Faculty on Douglas Island.

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Quakers had been a part of the historic motion during which many Alaska Native youngsters had been despatched away from their households, communities and tradition to boarding faculties within the state — or throughout the nation — and had been pressured to divorce themselves of their Indigenous id in trade for U.S. values and tradition.

Although most of the boarding faculties had been closed by the late 1900s, the legacy of trauma and abuse from these faculties nonetheless stays for a lot of Alaska Native households and communities.

Hughes stated although the ache nonetheless permeates from the previous, repatriation serves as a solution to carry therapeutic to each the folks residing in Kake at this time and the spirits that dwell inside the artifacts.

“We’re simply attempting to carry them dwelling the place they got here from,” Bean stated.

Hughes stated when he first noticed the artifacts in Oregon, he knew instantly that the spirits of his Tlingit ancestors had been there with him.

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“After we opened it up, the thrill and the spirits had been alive, it’s like strolling in an air-conditioned room — the spirits got here alive,” Hughes stated. “It’s good to see you, we’re joyful to see you.”

Bean agreed, and stated the Tlingit tradition is a present from God and bringing dwelling this stuff offers him a glimpse of his tradition he didn’t know was lacking.

“I’ve by no means seen something like this,” Bean stated. “It’s highly effective wanting again on folks we all know that had been right here earlier than us — as a household, as a tribe — and it’s tangible, we will contact it.”

Kake Alaska Native cultural artifacts repatriation Juneau Empire AP Storyshare

Hughes stated he and Bean would current the artifacts, nonetheless unopened, to the village. Plans to open the field and welcome the artifacts dwelling had been on observe to start however doubtless wouldn’t occur till after Thanksgiving.

Bean and Hughes stated that the repatriation serves as a step towards therapeutic and rebuilding the elements of their tradition that had been taken.

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“We all know who we’re, we all know the place we come from, we all know the place we’re going,” Bean stated.





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Alaska

Two rural Alaska towns report Election Day vote results; two remain unreported • Alaska Beacon

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Two rural Alaska towns report Election Day vote results; two remain unreported • Alaska Beacon


The Alaska Division of Elections added 260 ballots from two rural Alaska communities to its Election Day total on Friday.

The results, from Savoonga and Nulato, did not result in any lead changes or significantly change the margins between any candidates.

Two precincts, from Akiachak and Atqasuk, had no Election Day results as of the end of Friday. Those towns, according to figures published online by the Division of Elections, are the last unreported places in Alaska.

Carol Beecher, director of the division, said ballots and materials were mailed from those two communities yesterday and today, respectively, and are expected to arrive in Juneau in a few days.

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Thousands of absentee, early and questioned ballots are expected to be counted on Tuesday and could significantly change election results.

Further counts are expected on Nov. 15 and Nov. 20. On the latter date, ranked choice tabulation will be used to determine the winners in races that have at least three candidates and where none of those candidates have at least 50% of the vote.

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Golovin awaits arrival of 2 delayed power generators

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Golovin awaits arrival of 2 delayed power generators



Inside Golovin Power Utility’s powerplant. (Ben Townsend/KNOM)

As average temperatures plunge five degrees each week in Golovin, the western Alaska village is anxiously awaiting the arrival of two new generators.

The generators were made possible by a $218,098 grant from Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation and were expected to be delivered earlier in the fall. Golovin Power Utility’s bookkeeper, Joann Fagerstrom, said that with winter looming workers have had to improvise due to delays. 

“They could have came here with a tender boat if they got here a lot sooner. But they were stuck in Bethel for a while, and they got to Nome last week,” Fagerstrom said. 

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The exterior of the Golovin Powerplant. (Ben Townsend/KNOM)

As sea ice begins to appear throughout the Bering Strait region, the utility plans on flying in the generators. But another problem has arisen: the new generators, John Deere 6090 marine-grade engines, are too tall to fit inside the CASA C-212 cargo plane. 

First, the generators will need to be disassembled. Fagerstrom said that with some help from Nome-based mechanic Noah Burmeister, workers will be able to break the generators down and fly them to Golovin.

Each generator can output up to 222 kilowatts, enough to power the entire village on its own. This increased capacity will allow Golovin to prolong wear and tear on the new units while providing redundancy.

Fagerstrom said the utility expects the generators to arrive in the coming weeks and be online in time for winter.






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Scientists discover volcano-like structure in Arctic Ocean off Alaska • Alaska Beacon

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Scientists discover volcano-like structure in Arctic Ocean off Alaska • Alaska Beacon


Scientists aboard a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker have discovered something unusual in the Arctic Ocean off northern Alaska: a volcano-like structure rising more than 500 meters from the seafloor and possibly emitting gas.

The discovery came as scientists from different organizations were aboard the Healy, one of two polar-class Coast Guard icebreaking cutters, were working on a mission to better understand uncharted waters in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Alaska.

Although the structure rises well above the seabed, it tops out at about 1,600 meters below the water’s surface, so it is too deep to pose any risks to navigation, the Coast Guard said in a statement. However, there appears to be a plume of gas rising from the structure that nearly reaches the water’s surface, the Coast Guard said.

The discovery is part of a project called the Alaskan Arctic Coast Port Access Route Study. The project is surveying what have been uncharted waters and collecting depth data along a corridor that the Coast Guard has proposed to be a preferred vessel route between Utqiagvik, the nation’s northernmost community, and the U.S.-Canada border. The project is making use of equipment aboard the Healy to gather data and create detailed images of the seafloor and objects along the proposed Utqiagvik-to-Canada corridor.

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Researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ship Fairweather and the University of New Hampshire analyze mapping data in the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy’s computer lab while the cutter transits the Beaufort Sea on Oct. 16. The Healy hosted a science team this fall that conducted the first phase of a study mapping a Coast Guard-recommended Arctic shipping route between Utqiagvik and the U.S.-Canada maritime border. (Photo by Lt. j.g. Haley Howard/U.S. Coast Guard)

Multiple organizations are collaborating on the project, which is in its first phase: the U.S. National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the University of New Hampshire, along with the Coast Guard.

Capt. Meghan McGovern, the commanding officer of the NOAA Ship Fairweather, is part of the Healy mapping team and commented on the discovery.

“Although data analysis is ongoing, these findings are exciting and offer insight into what may exist beneath the ocean’s surface, much of which is unknown in this region,” McGovern said in a Coast Guard statement. “The coordination and partnerships during this mission fill critical gaps in the region for all waterway users and provide a foundation for safe navigation in the Arctic.”

The port access route study accomplishments came despite some difficulties endured earlier in the year by the Healy, its crew and its visiting scientists.

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The Healy had to cut short one of its Arctic research cruises after a fire broke out in its electrical system in July, when the ship was sailing off the coast of Canada’s Banks Island. The Healy returned to its home port of Seattle for repairs, then sailed back north on Oct. 1 to resume this year’s Arctic mission.

The Healy is the only Coast Guard icebreaker designed to support scientific research. This year, it hosted 20 early career scientists, along with their mentors, to help them gain Arctic research experience and skills.

The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy maneuvers off the coast of Nome on Oct. 24, 2024. The Healy hosted a science team conducting the first phase of the Alaskan Arctic Coast Port Access Route Study. The study is gathering bathymetric data to better map the Chukchi and Beaufort seas along a corridor that the Coast Guard has selected as its preferred shipping route between Utqiagvik and the Canadian border. (Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi/U.S. Coast Guard)
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy maneuvers off the coast of Nome on Oct. 24. The Healy hosted a science team conducting the first phase of the Alaskan Arctic Coast Port Access Route Study. The study is gathering seafloor data to better map the Chukchi and Beaufort seas along a corridor that the Coast Guard has selected as its preferred shipping route between Utqiagvik and the Canadian border. (Photo by Senior Chief Petty Officer Matt Masaschi/U.S. Coast Guard)

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