Lecture shares bombardment history, calls for formal reconciliation
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November 15, 2023
Courtesy of the Alaska State Library, U.S. Army Infantry Brigade photo collection
The U.S. military's attack on the village of Kaachxhaan.'aak'w (Wrangell) in 1869 was one of three similar attacks on Tlingit communities throughout the late 19th century. This photo shows the Wrangell shoreline, with about two dozen buildings visible, including a Russian Orthodox church.
In a livestreamed lecture sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute, ethnohistorian Zachary Jones presented on the U.S. military's 19th century attacks on the Tlingit villages of Kaachxhaan.áak'w, Kéex' Kwáan and Xutsnoowú Kwáan - present-day Wrangell, Kake and Angoon.
Though the attacks occurred over 150 years ago, their effects are still felt by Tlingit communities today, Jones said, and community leaders are still seeking restitution.
In 1867, the U.S. government paid Russia $7.2 million - less than two cents per acre - for the territory of Alaska and dispatched the Army to govern the land....
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