Canoes were an important part of traditional Tlingit life. They were used well into the 20th century in Tlingit villages.
My grandfather and my great grandfather inspired my dad to become a canoe captain. My father’s family is in the Chief Shakes lineage; Chief Shakes’ Canoe was quite famous. My mother was given a Tlingit name, Yaakw du Shí, His Canoe Song that is related to the Chief Shakes canoe.
The Chief Shakes Canoe is curated at The Smithsonian Collections storage facility in Maryland. Our friend, Eric Hollinger allowed us to see this treasure along with other native artifacts.
My dad is the main canoe captain in Hoonah, Alaska. He knows the waters around Southeast Alaska like the back of his hand. The canoe captain always sits in the stern of the canoe and steers with a paddle that is much longer than those used by the “pullers.” Pullers are the engine of the vessel.
The 40-foot Raven Canoe (Yéil Yaakw) captained my my father
Making the Eagle and Raven Canoes
Two 40-foot canoes were carved by master carver Wayne Price with apprentices Zach James and James Hart with help from many other community members including my dad and I.
The canoe carving project drew a lot of media attention as did the journey to Glacier Bay Homeland; click the link below to read more.
https://www.juneauempire.com/life/from-a-log-to-a-dugout/
Wayne, with help from my father, taught paddle making as well. Anyone who wanted to be a puller needed to make their own paddle, that was the rule.
Every puller who wanted to make the journey to Glacier Bay for the Tribal House Dedication was also required to complete safety training including capsizing and righting the canoe.
As the captain, my father led the safety procedures.
Journey to Homeland
I remember how he handled pullers on the Canoe Journey in 2016 who weren’t pulling well. He taught by example, not by lecture and structured lessons. He didn’t point out people’s mistakes specifically, just said that they would learn over time. He doesn’t do conflict in general, always says that it is better to say nothing than to say something that will upset people because then they will be angry and upset and that emotion won’t go away.”
Stephanie harold
My sister, Bamby Kinville-James, captained the Eagle Canoe and dad captained the Raven Canoe on the first Journey to Homeland.
“The canoe journey back to our Homeland was one of my favorites. Dad always made sure to check in on me and teach me everything he knew about the canoes and paddles, and even made me my first captain’s paddle before we left Hoonah… [on the canoe journey] we had this saying, “it’s 8:30 and we are half way there” until the person who kept asking how far we were realized we had been saying this every time he asked. The phrase just stuck all the way until the Dedication began when the canoes came through the fog and we landed. We started saying “it’s no longer 8:30 and we are finally home.”
