The Wrangell sentinel., 1940-06-14
EMPIRE VIEWS THE PoTLATCH
CFrom The Daily Alaska En- pire. Juneau

CFrom The Daily Alaska En-
 pire. Juneau
 A l0sl arr. q vanishing race and dormant community spirit were brought to the 5ore in Wrangell this week to produce the most eve filling and enjoyable spectacle Al askans are likely fa see for many a year The Wrangel Pollateh. a coop eratiYe endeavor of the U. s. Forest Service. the Office of Indian Affairs and the white and native people of WrangeH. was an unqualified sue cess. Even the rain which fell most of the time during the two days of the celebration couldn't spoil il.
 Five years ago almost nobody in Alaska was carving totem poles. The fine old totems of Vrangell, of Ton gass Village and Kasaan rotted in the ground. 4 few cheap and crude commercial limitations were being turned out to decorate the fronts of curio stores. but they were a desc eration rather than a perpetuation of the old craft. And nobody seemed to care about the decline in Alaska s one distinctive art form.
 The beauty of the new poles ded- ieated this week on Shakes Island al Wrangell and the high degree of skill shown in their execution are proof that the art was not qQuite lost. From somewhere out of the elouding past of the Wrangell In- dians came the skill. the memory. the inspira ton. the pride and the sure hands 10 produce new totems which even the oldest Indians admit are equal 70 any which ever stood in Alaska 4 few more years and the totem pole as it was known to earlier Alaskans might have disap- peared forever.
 The revival of totem carving in Alaska is. as Governor Gruening said at Wrangell this week. a mon ument 10 Frank Heintzleman. Re- gional Forester and Director of the Alaska Civilian Conservation Corps He cared enough about saving this priceless heritage to go through end less difficulties of securing from the Indians title to the old poles and the ground on which they stand, en- listing Indian cooperation in new project to save what old poles could be patched and strengthened and carving new poles on the models of the old ones beyond redemption The achievement at Wrangell is but one phase of this CCC program. Other totems and other community houses are being, restored at KlaBock, Fly daburg. New Kasaan. Saxman and Sitka. IL is a work which our child ren will appreciate to a greater eX- tent than the Alaskans of today. for without such effort being made at this time the next generation might never see a real totem pole standing proudly outdoors where its Indian carver meant il to stand.
 Kudanake, the new Chief Shakes elevated to full ch1eftainship in the ceremonies at Wrangell, is a fine old man and worthy recipient of the title and honor. The ceremonies of investiture. in which painted, blank eted and feathered Indians danced and chanted for a whole afternoon, were something to see. The Indian events. performed in the old Pot latch tradition. were Automatically superimpOsed on the modern setting through arrangements made by E. L. Keithahn, Potlatch manager and an employee of the Office of Indian Affairs.
 Wrangell wisely refrained from trying to capitalize directly on the Potlatch events. Everything was free and open to the public. The people of Wrangell footed the bill gracious ly and undoubtedly will reap great community benefits, commercial and otherwise, from the celebration.
 Others notably deserving credit for the success of the Potlatch were General Superintendent Claude NJ. Hirst of the Office of Indian Affairs, Principal George Barrett of Wran- gell Institute. Harry Sperling and Linn Forrest of the Forest Service and the fine people of Wrangell both white and Native, who CO., operated in this community eele- bration.
 Wrangell did itself proud this week. It left a mark for other Alas