The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-03-05
LIFE IN ALASKA.
How the Juneau Indians Spend Theii
Time-Sobriety Not Popular.

mo" the Juneau InUfNnS spend TheIf
Time-Sobriety Not Popular.
The Indians of Aux village have been
entertaining number of Kakes during
| the past week. Four canoes of the
| latter tribe were here attending court,
and Judging from the amount of noise
emanating nightly from the village the
| entire outfit are guests. Small pot
latches and hi-yu dancing are prin-
cipally INDUCED in, while hootchinoo
| flows like water. The other evening
there was not n sober AUX or Kake
within so miles of Juneau
We have been requested to state
that Mr.. Franklin, who has been col
lectlng money for the purpose of send
ing Louis Grainer to the soldiers
home and using the name of the Horse
shoe saloon, who is supposed to act
as custodian of funds, has no authority
whatever for doing so. While the OBJ
ject is most worthy, yet it is not the
desire of the Horseshoe to pose as the
treasurer of fund they have never
seen and know absolutely nothing OF.
Inasmuch as the recent conviction
and the subsequent infictior of the
death penalty upon Tla-koo-yel-lee, the
kake island murderer, is the first in the
history of Alaska, the sentence and the
death warrant will possess in future
years somewhat of a historical interest.
Until the time the prisoner was
brought into court for sentence he was
kept in ignorance of his fate, and when
the sentence was interpreted to him il
brought to the surface several kinds
of demons, and had not shackles been
placed upon him he might have made
| things lively in the courtroom for
few moments. He was removed to his
cell, and he made many boasts that he
would never hang. 1t is character
istic of the Kalles that when they per-
ceive death to be fixed and inevitable
they lose all fear of the grim destroyer
and will resort to any and every man
ner possible in which to kill them
selves.
Recent news from Kake island dis
closes the fact that during the pres
ent week huge, big celebration is be-
ing held in the Indian village and,
| strange to relate, the usual accompani-
ments of hootchinoo, broken noses,
chewed ears and other pleasantries arc
not down on the programme. COM
prlsing the Kalle tribe of Indians arc
the Otter, Sea Otter, Blacklist, Grow,
| Dogfish, Cedar and Eagle families. The
family now in the ascendancy, and who
in fact have held the throne for
number of years, is the Sea Otter
branch, and the occasion of the feasts
and dancing now being held is in com
memoration Of the death year ago
Of the mighty chief, Gashan, and the
accession of his successor, Augusho.
Several weeks ago five large war
canoes, containing 81 men, were sent
out with "A great deal of ceremony tn
procure log suitable for totem poll:
for the dead Gashan. the chief being
/ in the last canoe with large American
flag floating at the stern. a spruce
stick % feet long and three feet ia
diameter was secured, and in tow OF
the five canoes it was brought to the
village in great state at racehorse speed.
The carvers were set to work, and now
there has been evolved from the plain
log of wood a most elaborate totem,
entirely covered from top to bottoms
with figures symbolical of the proud
ancestry of the deceased marvels of
beauty to the eyes of the untutored
Siwash, yet so hideous to others as TO
develop a well-defined case of snakes
at first sight.
This pole, in company with numer-
GUS smaller totems, was erected last
Monday on the grave of Gashan amidst
great ceremonies. Over 300 Indians
have congregated in the Kake village.
to witness the scenes and partake OF
the new chiefs hospitality. After the
totem was in place all the dead chiefs
blankets, numbering over 300, were
brought to the grave and torn into
strips, each person present receiving
one or two of the pieces, which they
regard as amulets. On Saturday the
new chief brought the festivities to
close by giving big potlatch, during
which time he distributed 81 900 worth
of blankets, bolts of bright calicoes
and other articles of value to different
members of the tribe. Religious cere-
monies and feasts are held every day,
and during the night dancing is in
0ulged in until everyone is exhausted.
Juneau (Alaska) News.