(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Indians 101: The Tlingit Rebellion of 1802-1806 [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-06 Instead of trading with the Natives, the Russians tend to conscript or employ them to work as hunters. In 2009 article in American Archaeology, Paula Neely reports: “The Russians had to rely on natives to hunt sea otters because it required a mastery of kayaking and traditional weapons including the dart, bow, and barbed harpoon arrow. The Russians’ firearms frightened the otters away.” In his entry on the fur trade in the Encyclopedia of North American Indians, William Swagerty reports: “Russians colonized Alaska, employing well-tested policies of taking hostages in exchange for servile labor. Several generations of Aleuts labored as hostage slaves for Russian masters, supplying countless furs from the continental shelf and offshore islands to keep relatives alive.” The Russians, under the leadership of Alexi Chirikov, first encountered the Tlingit in 1741. This encounter was not friendly: according to oral tradition, the Tlingit lured the unsuspected crew members with a bear skin and killed them. The Russians reported that they lost two boats, each with ten men. In 1799, the Russians under the leadership of Alexander Baranov established a trading post at Sitka in Tlingit territory. Anthropologist Alice Beck Kehoe, in her book America Before the European Invasions, reports: “The Russians relied on indigenous nations to supply post food supplies, stimulating the Tlingit around Sitka to raise tons of potatoes and bring in quantities of ‘mutton’ (mountain sheep meat?) and halibut.” About the Tlingit The Tlingit are an Alaska Native people whose aboriginal homelands stretched along the Pacific coast for more than 400 miles. The Tlingit were 18 distinct and autonomous groups. Each group felt that it was distinct from the others and had its own unique origins and ancestry. This map, displayed in an exhibit of Tlingit artifacts in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture in Spokane, Washington, shows the location of the Tlingit tribes. Tlingit villages were located in sheltered bays with sandy beaches for landing canoes. German geographer Aurel Krause, in his 1885 book The Tlingit Indians: Results of a Trip to the Northwest Coast of America and the Bering Straits, reported: “Since fishing supplies the principal subsistence of these people, the choice of a place for settlement depends largely on the proximity of good fishing grounds and safe landing places for canoes.” Like other Northwest Coast tribes, the Tlingits lived in large, multi-family houses built with planks on a post and beam frame. Some Tlingit villages consisted of only a few houses which were placed in a single row while other villages might have as many as 60 houses which might be arranged in two rows. Among the Tlingit, each house had a fixed place in the village and could not be moved to another place. If the house became too small, then annexes were built, but these were considered to be part of the original house. Warfare has existed on the Northwest Coast for at least three thousand years. War was waged for the protection of status and revenge for the loss of status as well as for the capture of slaves. Raids would involve hundreds of warriors in dozens of war canoes. Warriors often wore full body armor which was made of wooden slats or of doubled or tripled leather. Sometimes stones would be glued to the armor. It is reported that Russian musket balls would bounce off Tlingit armor. Warriors would also wear helmets and visors which were carved and painted in fantastic images of grotesque human faces and other motifs. Shown above is a vest made from sea lion hide and covered in Chinese coins. This vest would have served as protective armor. Prior to wearing this vest, a period of fasting is required. This vest was displayed in the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture. In his book The Social Economy of the Tlingit Indians, Kalervo Oberg reports: “War does not form an institutionalized activity among the Tlingit. There is no warrior class and war is not an accredited means to wealth and renown.” The Rebellion In 1802, an estimated 600 Tlingit warriors armed with guns obtained through trade with the Russians, attacked and destroyed the Russian fort of New Archangel (Novo-Arkangelsk; present-day Sitka) on Baranov Island. They killed 20 Russians and 130 Aleut conscripts. The Tlingit then liberated thousands of pelts from the Russian fort. In his book Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes, Carl Waldman reports: “They felt the furs belonged to them since they had been taken on Tlingit lands or in Tlingit waters.” Following their victory on Baranov Island, the Tlingit next attacked an Aleut hunting party quartered at Yakutat Bay. The Tlingit accused the Russian commander of not only robbing them of their fur-bearing animals but also of stealing skins from Tlingit graves. The Tlingits began construction of a trapezoidal-shaped fort. In a 2021 report in American Archaeology, Paula Neely writes: “In anticipation that the Russians would return, the Tlingit constructed the fort with saplings that, according to Tlingit oral history, could absorb canon fire due to their pliability, and they armed it with weapons they acquired through trade.” In 1804, the Russians reasserted their dominance over the Tlingit by sending 4 ships under the command of Alexander Baranov to Sitka harbor. The Russians first destroyed two Indian villages with cannon fire. The Russians then attacked the Tlingit fort. The initial Russian attack was repelled. The Russians then turned their ships’ cannons on the fort. When the Tlingit warriors ran out of gunpowder, they accepted defeat. In a 2021 report in American Archaeology, Paula Neely writes: “The Tlingit escaped during the night and lived elsewhere on the island for a number of years.” The Russians then destroyed the deserted fort. While the destruction of the Tlingit fort on Baranov Island allowed the Russians to reestablish their post at New Archangel, this did not totally end Tlingit hostility toward the Russians. In 1805, Tlingit warriors attacked and destroyed the Russian fort at Yakatat, Alaska. In 1806, the Tlingit began planning an attack against the Russians at New Archangel. While nearly 2,000 warriors gathered for the attack, the Russian commander learned of the impending attack and invited the important Tlingit chiefs to the fort. The Russians welcomed the chiefs with great honor, provided them with a great feast, and gave them many presents. As a result of this, the chiefs declared the Russians to be their friends and the war was averted. Indians 101 Twice each week this series presents American Indian topics. More from this series: Indians 101: Russians and Native Americans in the 18th century Indians 101: Tlingit clan hats (photo diary) Indians 101: Some repatriated Tlingit artifacts (photo diary) Indians 101: Tlingit Migrations Indians 101: Chilkat Dancing Blankets (photo diary) Indians 101: The Northwest Coast plank longhouse (museum diary) Indians 101: Northwest Coast Masks (Photo Diary) Indians 101: Northwest Coast Hats in the Portland Art Museum (Photo Diary) [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/6/2162015/-Indians-101-The-Tlingit-Rebellion-of-1802-1806 Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/