The Alaska daily empire., 1918-12-04
Elders of Kock-Wan-T Ton Clans Forget the Past and Will Be Friends
 Hereafter.
ADOPT DEMOCRACY ALSO
Chiefs Meet and Agree to Forgive and Forget Dif- ferences and Abolish
 Ancient Customs.

of war, actual and constructive, the Wrangell and Sitka clans of the Rock -Wan-Ton Indians are at peace, The peace wass arranged and de clared at Wrangell, November II, the day on which the armistice that brought the great war to a close was signed.
 Charlie Klan-Tech and Augustus Bean, who with Jack Yaquan of Jul neau, represented the Sitka clan of the Rock Wan-Tons at the Wrangell conference, have arrived home, and
 they report that they succeeded in their mission to make peace with the regard the coincidence that the peace
 was brought about on the same day
 that the armistice was signed in
 Europe as a happy omen.
 The peace terms between the Wrangells and the Sitkas calls for, no indemnities or reprisals. It was simply agreed that the members of
 both tribes would forget the past, let by-gones be forgotten, and that hereafter the members of both the tribes would abandon old customs and live in accordance with the laws and customs of civilization.
 This is the first conference for the purpose of healing the troubles between the Wrangells and the Sit kas, which have existed since the memory of Alaska Indians runneth not to the contrary-sin the early sos. At that time-more than a hird of century ago-peace nego- 5iations were entered into, and dele gates were named. As told by the 5itkas at that time, Yaquan, father of Jack Yaquan, one of the dele gates to the late successful confer ence, who was then chief of the Sitka Rock Wan-Tons, and his Coun- gil were massacred by the Wran- gels, the latter escaping with very little loss.
 For years this unsettled affair kept the Wrangell and Sitka clans apart. | It developed into "an old sore" and it was not until year ago that any communication of any kind was at empted between the clans. The old
 ,r members of the Sffka tribe avoid d Wrangell as a pestilence, and the older members of the Wrangell tribe treated Sitka in the same manner Shaks, the chief for many years of the Wrangells, who died short time ago, in 1917, opened up nego- tiations with Jack Yaquan, son of
 he former Sitkt chief, with the pur-
 pose in view of bringing about peace. Shaks called attention to the fact
 hat as long as the older Indians, who were familiar with the facts
 hat had made their clans deadly en-
 emies, continued to cherish their an
 cient grudges, they would hold in
 restraint the younger generation of
 Indians who are accepting the ways
 )f civilization. He said the latter
 could meet the newer situation bet CT if there were no feeling of bitter less between the elders of their tribe and clans. He suggested, there- fore, sthat the seers of the tribes meet, and he accompanied the sug- ,estion by inviting a delegation of 5itka Indians to visit Wrangell that hey might there and then agree lpon terms of lasting peace. He also suggested that at the conference they should agree to set aside forever heir tribal customs-in short adopt democracy as standard, and do away with caste and other customs that were at variance with the mod ern civilization to which the younger
 Indians were fast attaching them selves.
 The Sitka Indians considered the
 suggestions and invitation carefully,
 md then. through Shaks. notified the Wrangell Indians that a delegation
 of Sitkas would visit Wrangell after he close of the 1918 fishing season. Though in the meantime Shaks
 had succumbed to his years, and gone to the happy hunting ground,
 the promise was kept. The Sitka delegation from the Kock-Wan-Tons
 arrived at Wrangell November 9th.
 and there was a week of discussion
 and debate. Agreement on the es-
 sentials was reached November Il,
 and it was then decreed that only
 friendship would henceforth exist be-
 tween the. Sitkas and the Wrangells.
 and that there should be fraternal
 intercourse and relationship between
 the clans. This meant, and it was so
 stated. that hereafter it would be
 the proper thing for the members of
 the two tribes to visit back and
 forth between the towns. and that 1t
 would be bad form henceforth for
 any member of either clan to refer
 to the bitter past Subsequently it was agreed that
 all old tribal customs should be abol-
 ished and disregarded forever. Here
 after the tribal chieftains will have
 no power or authority. but all differ