AS A MATTER OF FACT: The territory occupied by the modern Tlingit people in Alaska is not restricted to particular reservations, unlike most tribes in the contiguous 48 states. This is the result of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), which established regional corporations throughout Alaska with complex portfolios of land ownership rather than bounded reservations administered by tribal governments. (Hm-m-m… why can’t the other 48 accomplish/adopt this!).
So many more totem poles throughout Ketchikan area (as well as the Pacific Northwest in general). Check out Totem Bight State Park, the Totem Heritage Center, and the Saxman Native Tlingit Village. Having only one day in Ketchikan, we would have enjoyed learning more about the Tlingit (“People of the Tides”) culture, explored the town and/or take a hike. As it was, we chose another excursion without regret.
The Chief Johnson totem pole stands 55′ tall and is carved from a single western red cedar log!
