Juneau, Alaska (KINY) – Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a lecture on the 1869 bombardment of Ḵaachx̱haan.áak’win honor of Native American Heritage Month.
Presented by Zachary Jones, Ph.D., the lecture will be given at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at the Walter Soboleff Building and live-streamed on SHI’s YouTube channel.
The presentation is free and open to the public.
Jones’ lecture, entitled The U.S. Army’s 1869 Bombardment and Terrorization of the Tlingit Village of Ḵaachx̱haan.áak’w, overviews the U.S. Army’s 1869 terrorization and attack of individuals from the Alaska Native community of Ḵaachx̱haan.áak’w, part of present-day Wrangell.
In December 1869 soldiers from Fort Wrangell shot individuals, used artillery on civilian houses, issued threats and ultimatums, and executed a community religious leader, Jones wrote in an abstract.
The Tlingit took action to protect its civilian population, fight back, and de-escalate the situation through negotiation.
This story touches on the problems of military governance, the notion of invasion and occupation by a foreign power, the results of cross-cultural miscommunication, and the illegalities of military action.
Jones, a historian and archivist based in Alaska, holds a Ph.D. in Ethnohistory from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
His research focuses on Northwest Coast art history and Tlingit history.
Jones has published in history, anthropology, art history, museum, and archival science journals.
He currently works for the National Park Service’s Museum Program in Anchorage.
A second Native American Heritage Month lecture, Hall of Famers in History: Decades of Leadership with Ed Thomas, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 14.
