Smokehouses of the Sheet’ká Ḵwáan
Mapping historic atx’aan hítx’i (smokehouses) and at x’aan aaní (fish camps) around Sheet’ká Ḵwáan
Documenting and Bearing Witness to History
This StoryMap is our humble attempt to document the cultural significance of atx’aan hítx’i (smokehouses) and at x’aan aaní (fish camps) to the Sheet’ká Ḵwáan (Tlingit people of Sitka), to bear witness to the historical destruction of Tribal smokehouses by colonial institutions, and to provide insight on the current state of smokehouses in Sheet’ká and our path forward as Indigenous resource managers of Southeast Alaska’s largest subsistence sockeye fishery. This StoryMap is also intended to connect people with information, resources and programming related to traditional foods.
Gunalchéesh!
Many clans have occupied and cared for the lands and waters surrounding Sitka since time immemorial, and together we make up the Sheet’ká Ḵwáan: the People of Sitka. In the compilation of our findings we have strived to provide varied and balanced perspectives representative of the many clans, houses, and families in Sheet’ká. It is not our intention to misrepresent or exclude anyone in this project. Please forgive us for any and all mistakes made in the presentation of the following information. All mistakes are our own, and we do not mean to offend anyone. It is with the utmost respect and gratitude that we thank the many elders and knowledge holders who contributed to this project by sharing their lived experiences with STA and the world. Gunalchéesh.
This is a collaborative project of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and the Sitka Conservation Society.