Human Rights Actions of Alaska Native Brotherhood & Sisterhood Camp 2 in 1940

The detailed history of racial discrimination against Southeast Alaska Natives remains to be written. Fortunately the late Dr. Walter A. Soboleff (1908-2011), an advocate for Tlingit culture and Human Rights, saved his correspondence, meeting minutes, and other records while an active and leading member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB), which served to document the historic Human Rights actions of ANB and ANB’s counterpart, the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS). The materials he saved, amounting to 37 boxes of historic documents stored at Sealaska Heritage Institute, detail this effort on many levels, and are available to the public for educational research.

Recently, I reviewed the 1939-1945 ANB/ANS Camp 2 meeting minutes ledger. Reading over the joint ANB and ANS meeting for February 12, 1940, I encountered documentation speaking to Human Rights actions undertaken in Juneau by ANB and ANS.

Under the direction of ANB Camp 2 President William S. Wanamaker (1889-1944) (Tlingit of the Kiks.ádi Clan), the meeting minutes record Cyril J. Zuboff Sr. (1892-1869) raising the issue of the Juneau Sports Arena refusing to allow Alaska Natives entrance. Minutes then record proposals to address this situation, which included; 1) engaging in efforts that encouraged people from “refraining from patronizing” the arena, 2) the creation of a four member committee (two ANB men and two ANS women) to address the issue, and 3) that this committee “present a written protest at the next [Juneau] Chamber of Commerce meeting.”

These two short pages (provided below), from this old ledger, speak a great deal about the history of Human and Civil Rights and the reasons ANB and ANS fought for the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945 and additional efforts.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a regional nonprofit representing the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures. SHI maintains a large collection of archival materials that document the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures.

The Alaska Native Brotherhood’s 1921 Grand Camp Meeting

With the 100 year anniversary of the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) occurring in 2012, many will be reflecting on the history, role, and actions of ANB.

I recently came across the ANB Grand Camp Program for 1921 (scan below). While no minutes from the 1921 meeting have survived (although SHI has published the 1920 ANB minutes), the 1921 program lists the convention’s agenda and the topics discussed. Some of the issues of the day included fishing rights, segregated schooling, Civil Rights, Human Rights, and discussions on sovereignty and land ownership, such as through a reservation system. The final open forum topic for the third day of the meeting, which poses questions for discussion on the legality and fairness of the judicial system in Alaska towards Alaska Natives, is of particular interest. Scheduled be held after a speech on the rights of Alaska Natives presented by Hon. James Wickersham, it reads;

“Open Forum. The tremendous handicap of fair trial by juries composed entirely of White men, through an interpreter, leading to the question; “Would a lone White man consent to a trial by Natives in “Indian Country.”

Such a document provides a glimpse into the history of ANB and the issues of importance to Southeast Alaska Natives nearly 90 years ago.

Credit: Program from the Walter A. Soboleff Papers, Sealaska Heritage Institute.

SHI TO SPONSOR LECTURES FOR NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a noon lecture series to celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November.

The brown-bag lunch series will focus on the impact of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) which was passed by Congress forty years ago, said SHI President Rosita Worl, adding Tlingit and Haida and Sealaska Corporation also will sponsor a November luncheon in recognition of ANCSA.

Alaska settled its Native land claims in a historic way by founding Native corporations. That was a complete departure from the way Native tribes in the Lower 48 settled land claims by forming reservations, Worl said.

“ANCSA is a very different creature than reservations, “Worl said. “I know Alaskans hear a lot about Native corporations but they might not always understand the history of ANCSA, or how corporations work.”

The lectures will be held from 12-1 pm in the 4^th floor boardroom at Sealaska Plaza in Juneau. The series was sponsored by McDowell Group and Kathy Ruddy of Juneau. Attendees are invited to bring their own lunches.

Lectures 12-1 pm, Sealaska Plaza, 4th Floor Boardroom (bring your own lunch)
Friday, Nov. 4	ANCSA: Good or Bad? Byron Mallott Fellow, First Alaskan Institute
Monday, Nov. 14	The Interrelationships Between Tribes and Corporations Edward Thomas President, Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska
Tuesday, Nov. 15	Alaska Native Corporations and Cultural Models of Sustainability Thomas F. Thornton Senior Research Fellow, Environmental Change and Management, Oxford University
Monday, Nov. 21	The Legal Status of Alaska Native Corporations & Economic Self Determination Chris McNeil President & CEO Sealaska Corporation
Monday, Nov. 28	ANCSA: A Path to Assimilation or Cultural Survival Rosita Worl President, Sealaska Heritage Institute

The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians and Sealaska Corporation also will sponsor a noon luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 16, to recognize the initial Sealaska Board of Directors and Emil Notti, Chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives when Alaska Natives were pursuing the settlement of their aboriginal land claims.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a regional nonprofit representing the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures.

Photo: Guest lecturer Dan Monteith at SHI’s 2010 lecture series in Juneau,

SHI RECEIVES GRANT TO STUDY HISTORIC TLINGIT RECORDINGS

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has received a federal grant to research and migrate old Tlingit language recordings to a format that will make them more accessible to modern-day Native language students and scholars.

The $150,000, two-year grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services will allow SHI to migrate more than one hundred recordings of people speaking Tlingit from an old format to a digital format, said SHI Archivist Zachary Jones. Recordings with the potential to aid language students and educators will be placed online.

“We’re very excited about this grant because it not only helps us with our archival collections, but it also helps us with our language,” Jones said.

The oldest Tlingit recordings date to the early 1900s, and historic Tlingit recordings from that era will undergo a review. SHI will contract fluent Tlingit speakers to listen to the recordings and provide detailed information on topics such as traditional ecological knowledge and Tlingit history.

“It will help document the content of them in great detail right down to the clan or clan-house level if possible,” he said.

The grant also will fund an internship program between the institute and the University of Alaska Southeast, allowing undergraduate students studying Tlingit language to become involved in this language orientated project. And, it will establish a sharing partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Alaska Native Language Archive, meaning the organizations will donate copies of some materials in their archives to each other.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a regional nonprofit representing the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures. SHI maintains a large collection of archival materials that document the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures.

CONTACT: Zachary Jones, SHI Archivist, 907.586.9261

100 Years of Alaska Native Brotherhood

Next year will mark the 100 year anniversary of the founding of the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB). For the first half of the 20^th century, ANB and its partner organization, the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS – founded 1926), were at times the only organizations representing Native and civil rights in Alaska. ANB and ANS were also some of the first organizations fighting for land claims in Alaska. ANB claims to be the oldest still practicing Native organization in the United States.

Photo Credit: Group photograph of ANB/ANS members at the 1954 Grand Camp Convention, Juneau. Photograph attributed to William L. Paul, Jr. PO064: Item 3, Sealaska Heritage Institute.

The accomplishment list of ANB and ANS is long, but some of the main accomplishments credited to the organizations are: voting rights for Alaska Natives prior to the Citizenship Act of 1924, civil rights reform such as the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945, land claims extinguishment efforts leading to ANCSA, and societal reform such as improvement of health care, education, and other social safety nets for Alaska Natives.

According to the international library catalog WorldCat.org, Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) contains the largest collection of ANB records in the world. These papers are open to the public for research and educational purposes. While SHI contains few historical ANS records, SHI hopes in the future ANS donors will contribute their historic papers to SHI to better preserve ANS and ANB’s histories.

From the historic records of ANB, SHI recently compiled a list of ANB Grand Presidents and the locations of ANB Grand Camp Conventions (a list of ANS Grand Presidents is forthcoming). This list is provided below, since SHI occasionally receives inquiries for this information. SHI seeks to promote the study of ANB and ANS’s history.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a regional nonprofit representing the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures.

List of ANB Grand Presidents and Locations

of Grand Camp Conventions, 1912-2010.

Compiled by Zachary R. Jones

Sealaska Heritage Institute Archivist

YEAR              Convention Location                           ANB Grand President

1912                Juneau                                                 Election slated for 1913

1913                Juneau                                                 Peter Simpson

1914                Sitka                                                    Peter Simpson

1915                Metlakatla                                            Peter Simpson

1916                Wrangell                                              Peter Simpson

1917                Juneau                                                 Ralph Young

1918                no convention                                       Ralph Young

1919                Juneau                                                 Ralph Young

1920                Wrangell                                              Louis F. Paul

1921                Douglas                                               Louis F. Paul

1922                Klawock                                              Andrew Hope

1923                Kake                                                   Peter Simpson

1924                Hoonah                                                Peter Simpson

1925                Hydaburg                                             Frank Price

1926                Klukwan                                              Samuel C. Davis

1927                Angoon                                                Louis F. Paul

1928                Sitka                                                    William L. Paul

1929                Haines                                                 William L. Paul

1930                Ketchikan                                             Louis Shotridge

1931                Yakutat                                                Frank G. Johnson

1932                no convention                                       Frank G. Johnson

1933                Juneau                                                 Frank Booth

1934                Saxman                                                Cyril Zuboff

1935                Wrangell                                              Cyril Zuboff

1936                Metlakatla                                            Frank G. Johnson

1937                Kake                                                   Cyril Zuboff

1938                Sitka                                                    Cyril Zuboff

1939                Sitka                                                    Louis F. Paul

1940                Klawock                                              Roy Peratrovich

1941                Hydaburg                                             Roy Peratrovich

1942                no convention                                       Roy Peratrovich

1943                Hoonah                                                Roy Peratrovich

1944                Kake                                                    Roy Peratrovich

1945                Angoon                                                Alfred Widmark

1946                Wrangell                                              Cyril Zuboff

1947                Hydaburg                                             Cyril Zuboff

1948                Sitka                                                    Cyrus Peck Sr.

1949                Klawock                                              Frank Peratrovich

1950                Craig                                                    Harry Douglas

1951                Ketchikan                                            Joseph C. Williams

1952                Hoonah                                                Joseph C. Williams

1953                Sitka                                                    Patrick J. Paul

1954                Juneau                                                 Patrick J. Paul

1955                Petersburg                                            Patrick J. Paul

1956                Hoonah                                                Mark Jacobs Sr.

1957                Kake                                                   Thomas L. Jackson

1958                Sitka                                                    Thomas L. Jackson

1959                Yakutat                                                Alfred Widmark

1960                Angoon                                                Alfred Widmark

1961                Klukwan                                              Alfred Widmark

1962                Sitka                                                    John Hope

1963                Wrangell                                              John Hope

1964                Hoonah                                                Alfred Widmark

1965                Kake                                                    Frank See

1966                Hydaburg                                             Walter A. Soboleff

1967                Ketchikan                                            Walter A. Soboleff                 

1968                Juneau                                                 Walter A. Soboleff

1969                Kake                                                   Walter A. Soboleff

1970                Petersburg                                            Richard J. Stitt

1971                Sitka                                                    Steven V. Hotch

1972                Ketchikan                                            Steven V. Hotch

1973                Wrangell                                              Frank Nelson

1974                Yakutat                                               Frank Nelson

1975                Haines                                                 Frank Nelson

1976                Hoonah                                                Walter A. Soboleff

1977                Hydaburg                                             Frank O. Williams, Jr.

1978                Sitka                                                    Frank O. Williams, Jr.

1979                Juneau                                                 Walter A. Soboleff

1980                Angoon                                                Herbert Hope

1981                Ketchikan                                             Robert Martin, Sr.

1982                Kake                                                    Robert Martin, Sr.

1983                Juneau                                                  Ronald D. Williams

1984                Sitka                                                     Ronald D. Williams

1985                Klawock                                               Ronald D. Williams

1986                Haines                                                  Ronald D. Williams

1987                Sitka                                                     Richard Stitt

1988                Juneau                                                  Richard Stitt

1989                Hoonah                                                 Richard Stitt

1990                Kake                                                    Richard Stitt

1991                Ketchikan                                            Albert Kookesh

1992                Klawock                                              Albert Kookesh

1993                Angoon                                                Dan Johnson, Jr.

1994                Juneau                                                 Ronald D. Williams

1995                Hydaburg                                             Alfred McKinley, Sr.

1996                Yakutat                                               Alfred McKinley, Sr.

1997                Sitka                                                    Richard Stitt

1998                Wrangell                                              Richard Stitt

1999                Saxman                                                Samuel Jackson

2000                Juneau                                                 Samuel Jackson

2001                Kake                                                    Richard H. Jackson

2002                Hoonah                                                Richard H. Jackson

2003                Ketchikan                                            Samuel Jackson

2004                Sitka                                                    Samuel Jackson/Ronald D. Williams

2005                Juneau                                                 Dewey Skan

2006                Hoonah                                                Brad Fluetsch

2007                Sitka                                                    Dewey Skan

2008                Ketchikan                                            Willard Jackson

2009                Juneau                                                 Brad Fluetsch

2010                Saxman                                               Willard Jackson

2011                Klawock                                              Richard Jackson
2012                Sitka                                                    Dennis Demmert