U.S. Navy apologizes for destroying Alaska Native village 142 years ago

The U.S. Navy has formally apologized for obliterating an Alaska Native colony successful 1882, the 2nd specified apology this fall.

Saturday’s motion came connected the 142nd day of the demolition of the 420-population Tlingit colony of Angoon, which the U.S. Navy bombarded earlier torching homes, nutrient supplies and canoes. Six children were killed successful the onslaught, and “untold numbers” of infants and the aged died of cold, vulnerability and hunger during the ensuing winter, Angoon tribal caput Daniel Johnson Jr. said astatine the livestreamed ceremony.

Nobu Koch/Sealaska Heritage Institute via AP

Angoon nonmigratory Shgen George and her daughters execute a ceremonial opus during a U.S. Navy ceremonial Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, successful Angoon, Alaska, to apologize for the 1882 subject bombing of the Tlingit colony successful Angoon. (Nobu Koch/Sealaska Heritage Institute via AP)

The Navy claimed Tlingit villagers had taken hostages aft 1 of their own, Tlingit shaman Tith Klane, was killed by an exploding harpoon weapon connected a whaling vessel owned by the North West Trading Co., his employer. The Tlingit contended that acold from taking hostages, the crew’s tribal members had remained with the vas retired of respect successful anticipation of the funeral, and refuted different details of the naval accounting.

There’s nary quality the accomplishment of Naval Cmdr. E.C. Merriman, the U.S.’s apical Alaska official, brought calamity and havoc. After his archetypal demands for the people to proviso 400 blankets weren’t met, helium shelled the hamlet connected Oct. 26, 1882, obliterating 12 clan houses, homes, canoes and the nutrient it had stored for the upcoming winter.

Residents were near “homeless connected the beach” for the winter, with truthful small nutrient that elders sacrificed their lives to guarantee the youngsters would person capable to eat, said Rosita Worl, president of the Sealaska Heritage Institue successful Juneau.

Nobu Koch/Sealaska Heritage Institute via AP

U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark B. Sucato speaks during a Navy ceremonial Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, successful Angoon, Alaska, to apologize for the 1882 subject bombing connected a Tlingit colony successful Angoon. (Nobu Koch/Sealaska Heritage Institute via AP)

The Navy has present accepted the tribal mentation of events “out of respect for the long-lasting impacts these tragic incidents had connected the affected clans,” Navy spokesperson Julianne Leinenveber told The Associated Press, adding: “An apology is not lone warranted, but agelong overdue.”

As acold backmost arsenic 1982, the Navy acknowledged “the destruction of Angoon should ne'er person happened, and it was an unfortunate lawsuit successful our history.” But until present determination had been nary apology, though colony leaders had been pressing for 1 for decades.

Last period the Navy apologized for destroying adjacent Kake successful 1869, and the U.S. Army has said it volition apologize for shelling Wrangell, different colony successful the region, the aforesaid year.

With News Wire Services