First of the giant Cedars leave Carving Shed for Shakes Island

A muggy Tuesday morning in Wrangell saw the first batch of freshly adzed Cedar leave the confines of the Carving Shed for Shakes Island.  Here are a few pics of the process.

Carvers joined the renovation crew to assist with the transport, which includes toting the up to 27' Cedars across 300' worth of bridge.  Just like they did it during the 1940 restoration, dollies help usher the beams and posts across.

After resting under tarps for months, the totems were recently uncovered to breathe.  Laying next to the totems are sill beams, the longest being the aforementioned 27 footer.  These beams are pocketed, and the groves will hold panels of Cedar that can be slid in and out of place.  Many of these panels were preserved during deconstruction of the Tribal House and will be re-used.

Here sits one of the corner posts, in front of the Southwest corner of the Tribal House waiting to be raised.  This beast of a log was one of the prizes of the Sealaska log donation, and after some artful adzing by carver Justin Smith, it should go a long ways to make sure the house is standing for another 100 years.

M.J. Murdock Trust Awards $222,000 Grant to Chief Shakes Tribal House Restoration

The Tribal House restoration on Chief Shakes Island in Wrangell was awarded another grant
last week, with the latest $222,000 award from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust inching the
project towards full funding.

After submitting and revising the grant multiple times beginning in 2009, WCA received notice
on May 24 that the grant had been approved. The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust put no
restrictions on the grant distribution, and with the paperwork now officially signed, the entire
$222,000 will be paid out to the WCA at once.

“We extend our congratulations on your receipt of this grant,” said Steven Moore, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Executive Director. “We wish you significant and satisfying progress as you seek to strengthen and implement the ideals and mission of the Wrangell Cooperative Association.”

WCA’s Tis Peterman was pleased to hear the funds will arrive at once, and not be piece-mailed to the project. Peterman stated that “Murdock Charitable was very cognizant that we are aiming to get the building renovated this year and wanted to ensure we had all of their funding as we need it.”

“The funding is very close, if not fully-funded” added Peterman. “It will be dependent on the
costs of the materials needed to reassemble the building. The expense of getting the planks from
Prince of Wales Island was more than originally projected.”

Work continues on the Tribal House. Recently, Master Carver Steve Brown recently arrived
from Seattle to assess the project, and under advice from Brown, Project Manager Todd White
and his team are working to reassemble the National Historic Site.

Volunteers still needed for 2013 Shakes Island re-dedication, contact the WCA office

With Tribal House restoration on schedule, Wrangell Cooperative Association is looking for volunteers to help with the re-dedication ceremony, which will take place in May, 2013.  The WCA is in search of committee members and volunteers from all communities to help celebrate the re-opening of our National Historic Site.  If you can help organize housing, transportation, food, advertising, fund raising, dancing, gift giving or assist in any other fashion, please contact the WCA via phone (907.874.4304), email us at wcatribe@gmail.com, or stop by the office in downtown Wrangell.  Thank you.

Governor Appropriates $250,000 to Shakes Island, Sealaska Cedars Arrive to Blessing

Governor Parnell includes Shakes Island in Capital Projects for upcoming fiscal year

Wrangell Cooperative Association just got another dose of financial help, as Governor Sean Parnell included the Chief Shakes Tribal House and Carving Shed on the list of Alaska House District 2 funding recipients for the upcoming fiscal year.

"Alaska’s cash position is as strong as it’s ever been," said Governor Parnell in his annual Budget Message given in Anchorage on May 14th.  "We start from a position of strength.”

The WCA submission was just 1 of 8 Wrangell projects recieving funding in the new budget.  The Governor appropriated $250,000 for use in either, or both of, the Chief Shakes Tribal House restoration and Carving Shed projects. 

Speaking with KSTK’s Charlotte Duren, Wrangell Finance Director Jeff Jabusch called Wrangell’s results in the 2013 Fiscal Year Capital Projects list “by far, one of the better years we have ever had … We did well last year but I think this year was even better."

Architectual plans for the new Carving Shed have been completed, and the 40,000 + sq. ft. building will serve as not only a carving facility, but will contain retail and office space.  Sitting on the land adjacent to the SNO Building in downtown Wrangell, property given to the WCA by the Tlingit and Haida Housing Authority, the WCA plans to have master carvers taking one-month shifts at the facility for a period of 2 years to train local carvers.

"We were on the City of Wrangell priority list for Capitol Projects for over a year," said WCA's Tis Peterman.  "They submitted it and we were so focused on further fund raising and the Tribal House restoration, which is currently underway, that we were pleasantly surprised when Senator Bert Stedman called us in April, letting us know we were still on the Governor's table."

As far as the Chief Shakes Island restoration, Peterman says complete funding for the project is “very close,” after the State appropriation. 

Sandy Churchill - Photo by Greg Knight

"This is huge for the Tribe," said Peterman.  "It's not only a relief to know we will have the money for not only the Tribal House, but enough set aside to break ground on the new carving facility too.  This appropriation by the Governor should create momentum for further funding."

First of Sealaska donated Cedars arrive in Wrangell to Native celebration and blessing

The first batch of giant Cedars for the Chief Shakes Island restoration were delivered to the carving facility in Wrangell on this week, where the gift was met with a songs, beaded regalia and a blessing from members of the Tlingit community.

Elders, dancers and Wrangell community members were on hand for the blessing, which began with a prayer from Father Thomas Joseph Weise of the Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church.  Tribe members then brushed the massive, milled logs with Cedar branches and eagle feathers to brush away the negative spirits, and concluded the blessing with songs and dancing from members of the local clans.

"The blessing went beautifully," said Tongass Tribe member Willard Jackson of Ketchikan, who is assisting the WCA with Tlingit history during the resoration.  "I believe it is important to remember the tree and its life, as it too was part of this Earth."

Justin Smith and Dawn Hutchinson - Photo by Greg Knight

Justin Smith, who first came to town in 2011 to carve along side Wrangell’s female adzers, has returned to the city he claims to love Wrangell more than his hometown to help with the restoration.

Justin Smith and Dawn Hutchinson - Photo by Greg Knight

"The blessing was great," said Smith.  "We want this house to get built and everyone involved with the restoration to be safe.  I'm going to be here in Wrangell until the project is finished and the job is done.  The Cedar looks really good and I can't wait to get started so further generations can continue to honor Chief Shakes." 

Smith and his brother are working to restore a Tribal House in their home of Whitehorse, in the Yukon Territory, and is hoping to see the Chief Shakes project to the end and take some of that knowledge back with him.

Sealaska granted the WCA's request for Cedar, with logs found on nearby Prince of Whales Island by the Sealaska Timber Corporation (STC) .  Had the Sealaska donation not come through, the WCA could have been looking at an estimated $120,000 to purchase a dozen Cedars of that size and quality to finish the corner posts of the Tribal House.

Project Manager Todd White called the first batch of Cedar "great looking wood ...  We've cleared a spot in the carving facility for these logs.  They're huge, so we're gonna need a backhoe to move them.  The corner posts are priority, so we're going to get them into the shed and get the adzers going on them right away."

Volunteers still needed for 2013 Shakes Island re-dedication, contact the WCA office

With Tribal House restoration on schedule, Wrangell Cooperative Association is looking for volunteers to help with the re-dedication ceremony, which will take place in May, 2013.  The WCA is in search of committee members and volunteers from all communities to help celebrate the re-opening of our National Historic Site.  If you can help organize housing, transportation, food, advertising, fund raising, dancing, gift giving or assist in any other fashion, please contact the WCA via phone (907.874.4304), email us at wcatribe@gmail.com, or stop by the office in downtown Wrangell.  Thank you.

Photo by Greg Knight

Wrangell Cooperative planning Shakes Island re-dedication, needs volunteers

With the Tribal House restoration chugging right along, Wrangell Cooperative Association has begun preliminary planning for the Shakes Island re-dedication event.

1940 Chief Shakes Tribal House dedication

The WCA met Saturday, April 28, at the American Legion Hall to begin planning the ceremony, tentatively scheduled for May 2013.  There aren't many Tribal House re-dedications to compare to, so while WCA’s Tis Peterman is planning to for a rough estimate of 500 visitors for the ribbon cutting ceremony, she has left the door open for than number to be much greater.  

“Looking at numbers from similar events around Southeast Alaska, and throw in the fact that Haines and Kasaan are looking to do renovations to tribal houses like Shakes Island, we could be looking at more than 500,” said Peterman.  

Numbers exceeding this estimate will create some extra work to accommodate visitors to Wrangell, especially in the area of housing.  The lack of available beds in town may cause the WCA to get creative with their planning, including perhaps bringing in a ferry to house the overflow, or getting people to open up their homes to visiting parties.

“We will have a better estimate on total visitors after the dance committee gets filled up,” continued Peterman.  “We’ll be conducting an outreach, hopefully recruiting dancers from communities all around Southeast.  We could see as much as 30 dancers per community participating in the re-dedication ... we'll know more after Celebration 2012 in Juneau, we can gauge interest from other communities there.”

WCA is looking for volunteers to pull off a ceremony for the ages.   Committees are being formed to organize housing, transportation, food, advertising, fund raising, dancing, gift giving and much more.  If you would like to help with the re-dedication, sign-up sheets can be found at the WCA office.  

The next WCA meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on May 9^th at the American Legion Hall in Wrangell. 

Concrete being poured, Cedar logs on the way

Project Manager Todd White stated that he was “very happy” with the schedule the restoration is keeping, as walls have already been removed and concrete is currently being poured. 

“The concrete will go a long ways to help to battle moisture and helping prevent future insect and pest infestation by keeping the Cedar dry and off the ground,” said White. 

While the Tribal House will have a new floor and footings, the centerpiece of the structure has been preserved.  

Original restoration plans had the Tribal House’s historic fire pit to be replaced.  Carbon dating conducted on the ash dates the pit back to the late 1800’s and White quickly changed the plans to leave the pit untouched. 

The Shakes Island crew carefully covered the pit with planks as concrete was delivered one wheelbarrow at a time, creating a foundation to ensure visitors will enjoy the fire pit for another 100 years.

In other restoration news, Sealaska has confirmed that the 12 giant, Cedar logs donated to the project have been found by the Sealaska Timber Corporation on nearby Prince of Whales Island and delivered to Thorne Bay to be finished by the Thaja Plicata Lumber Company. 

 

Delivering the logs to Wrangell is expected to be a 10-day process, but the Cedar will be transported as quickly as possible to begin adzing.  Wood currently occupying the carving facility will be moved to containers located on the site of the future Carving Shed to make room for the giant, Cedar logs, which are the priority.

Tribal House restoration moving along swimmingly

That's all that's left standing of the Tribal House on the right.  Pretty impressive when compared to what it was just weeks ago.  No floor, no walls, no corner posts.  Just a roof resting upon Cedar some eight decades old.  Spring weather has cooperated and Project Manager Todd White has his crew working like a well-oiled machine, leaving tons of visual progress on the National Historic site's restoration.


During last week's WCA member meeting, White drove home the fact that some of the Cedar, while more than 82-years-old, was in great shape and the project is most definitely "a partial restoration, not a complete re-build."  

“We have a lot of good cedar being removed from the structure and the main beams look fine,” White continued. “We are looking to re-use.”

White went on to say that they discovered a carpenter infestation, including some behind the Tribal House screen.  “Bugs are just a maintenance that we’re going to have to keep up with.”

As far as prevention of another infestation, White stated that they're installing a new concrete foundation to keep the cedar off the ground, and a dependable roof system, consisting of not only the cedar shakes, but also plywood and Water Shield to limit any moisture damage to the structure.

While we would not want to flood the work site with visitors, White encourages community members to come down and check out the project.  The island is open.

Overall, all involved seem pleased with the progress thus far, and more help is on the way in the form of more funding and donations.  

In addition to the $450,000 Rasmuson grant received in December, WCA was recently awarded 12 large, Cedar logs critical to the Tribal House architecture from Sealaska.  Early re-con trips to Prince of Whales has White excited, saying the wood he saw was "awesome Cedar."

Tlingit & Haida Regional Housing Authority recently announced that it would give WCA the land adjacent to the SNO Building to construct the shiny, new Carving Shed.  The 4,000+ sq ft property already has plans and partial funding, so ground breaking could happen as early as 2012.  The temporary carving facility currently sits on the property, but will make way for the permanent structure, which will also include retail and office space.

“We had to flip-flop our priorities when we found out how bad of shape Chief Shakes House was,” said WCA's Carol Snoddy on the numerous Carving Shed delays.  “We now see the carving facility as Phase 2 in the Shakes Island renovation.”


Click here to check out more photos of the Shakes Island project on our facebook page.

Shakes Island and the Civilian Conservation Corps

By Emily Moore

The Shakes Island Restoration Project belongs to a long history of restorations at Wrangell that dates back to the 1930s (if not before). During the Great Depression, the U.S. Forest Service oversaw a restoration of Shakes Island as part of a major federal initiative to preserve Tlingit and Haida totem poles in Southeast Alaska. Local Tlingit men were hired to do the restoration work through the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the relief program that was the hallmark of President Roosevelt's New Deal. The hope of the CCC restoration program was to provide local men with short-term jobs preserving totem poles in a "totem park" that would attract tourists and thus provide long-term jobs for Native artists. During the New Deal restoration project, the lead carvers at Wrangell were Joe Thomas and Tom Ukas. Many other local men helped to adze boards, rough out the totem poles, and erect a new version of the Shakes House. When the park was completed, Natives and non-Natives celebrated with the Wrangell Potlatch, June 3-4, 1940. It was then that Charles Jones, who had also worked for the CCC, was named the next Chief Shakes.

Shakes Island is one of six totem parks established by the CCC in Southeast Alaska during the Great Depression. (Klawock, Hydaburg, Kasaan, Saxman and Totem Bight are the other parks.) The CCC also restored totem poles at the park in Sitka and carved three totem poles for Juneau. Some scholars have argued that these New Deal totem parks represented a government appropriation of Native heritage. They point out that the idea of a "totem park" was not a Tlingit or Haida concept, and that traditionally totem poles were not preserved but were allowed to decay naturally. While this is true, it is also important to note that Tlingit and Haida peoples have adopted the New Deal totem parks for their own cultural needs. The Wrangell Potlatch and the succession of Charles Jones to the rank of Chief Shakes is one example of how Wrangell Tlingits used the totem park to advance Tlingit traditions in the 1940s. And the Shakes Island Restoration project today shows how the park continues to serve as a site for Tlingit art and culture. A hundred years from now, historians may study this restoration project as part of a long and proud tradition of totem pole restoration at Shakes Island.

Emily Moore is PhD Candidate in the history of art at the University of California, Berkeley. Raised in Ketchikan, she is completing her dissertation on the six totem parks in Southeast Alaska created during the New Deal, 1938-1941. Anyone with information on carvers who participated in the New Deal projects are encouraged to contact Emily at emilylmoore@berkeley.edu, so that she can honor their role in this early restoration project. You can also view her presentation to the Sealaska Heritage Institute by going to http://vimeo.com/29455942.

Photo is courtesy of University of Washington Libraries. The caption reads "Tlingit totem pole being carved inside the Civilian Conservation Corps workshop, Wrangell, Alaska, 1939."