Alaska's cities
Kake, Alaska
Tlingits have world's largest totem pole; U.S. Navy once attacked village
Alaska.com
Kake, Alaska, sits on Kupreanof Island 98 air miles southwest of Juneau.
Kake, with a population of about 700, is a Tlingit village that can be reached by sea or air. Kake commissioned the world's largest totem pole for Alaska's centennial celebration in 1967. The 132-foot totem pole now stands on a bluff overlooking town.
Fishing and seafood processing contribute considerably to the economy. Seventy-three residents hold commercial fishing permits.
The Kake Tribal Corp. owns the local cold storage plant, Ocean Fresh Seafoods. Kake Tribal Logging and Timber is the state's third-largest timber company. Salmon, halibut, shellfish, deer, bear, waterfowl and berries are important food sources.
History
Historically, the Kake tribe controlled the trade routes around Kuiu and Kupreanof islands, defending the territory against other tribal groups.
Ventures into the region by early European explorers and traders resulted in occasional skirmishes between the Kake Tlingits and the foreigners.
In 1869, a non-Native sentry in Sitka shot and killed a Kake Native. In accordance with their traditional custom, the Kakes then killed two prospectors in retribution. In reprisal, the U.S. Navy sent the USS Saginaw to punish the Kakes by shelling their villages and destroying their homes, boats and stored foods. The Kake people survived this onslaught but were forced to disperse and live with other tribes.
Over the following 20 years, the Kakes regrouped at the current village site. In 1891, a government school and store were built. In the early 1900s, Kake became the first Alaska Native village to organize under federal law, resulting in U.S. citizenship for community residents.
Source: Alaska Department of Community and Economic Development
More on this topic
 Adak, Alaska
Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska
Anchor Point, Alaska
Anderson, Alaska
Angoon, Alaska
Barrow, Alaska
Bethel, Alaska
Big Lake, Alaska
Cantwell, Alaska
Central, Alaska
Chitina, Alaska
Circle, Alaska
Coldfoot, Alaska
Cooper Landing, Alaska
Copper Center, Alaska
Cordova, Alaska
Craig, Alaska
Delta Junction, Alaska
Dillingham, Alaska
Diomede, Alaska
Eklutna, Alaska
Eagle River, Alaska
Elfin Cove, Alaska
Ester, Alaska
Fort Yukon, Alaska
Fox, Alaska
Gakona, Alaska
Galena, Alaska
Girdwood, Alaska
Glennallen, Alaska
Gulkana, Alaska
Gustavus / Glacier Bay, Alaska
Haines, Alaska
Halibut Cove, Alaska
Healy, Alaska
Hollis, Alaska
Homer, Alaska
Hoonah, Alaska
Hope, Alaska
Houston, Alaska
Hyder, Alaska
Kasilof, Alaska
Kenai, Alaska
Ketchikan, Alaska
King Salmon, Alaska
Knik, Alaska
Kodiak, Alaska
Kotzebue, Alaska
Livengood, Alaska
Manley Hot Springs, Alaska
McGrath, Alaska
McKinley Park, Alaska
Mentasta Lake, Alaska
Metlakatla, Alaska
Moose Pass, Alaska
Nenana, Alaska
Nikiski, Alaska
Ninilchik, Alaska
Nome, Alaska
North Pole, Alaska
Northway, Alaska
Palmer, Alaska
Paxson, Alaska
Pelican, Alaska
Petersburg, Alaska
Petersville, Alaska
Prudhoe Bay, Alaska
Seldovia, Alaska
Seward, Alaska
Sitka, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska
Soldotna, Alaska
St. George, Alaska
Sterling, Alaska
Talkeetna, Alaska
Tok, Alaska
Trapper Creek, Alaska
Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Alaska
Valdez, Alaska
Wasilla, Alaska
Whittier, Alaska
Willow, Alaska
Wrangell, Alaska
Yakutat, Alaska
Page 1
|
