U.S. Navy Issues Long-Awaited Apology For 1882 Attack That Destroyed Alaskan Native Village

The U.S. Navy issued a formal apology for its attack on the Alaska Native community of Angoon, which killed six children and caused widespread misery in 1882.

Rear Adm. Mark Sucato, commander of the Navy’s northwest region, expressed regret during a ceremony on October 26th, acknowledging the long-standing impact on the Tlingit people.

The apology, aired from Angoon, admitted the destruction it caused to the population and marked the first time the Navy had formally addressed this tragic incident.

The attack occurred on October 26, 1882, in the southeastern Alaskan village of Angoon, home to about 420 Tlingit people.

The bombing damaged homes, food storage facilities, and vessels. Community elders gave up their lives to make sure that surviving children had enough to eat over the harsh winter.

“The Navy takes the significance of this action very, very seriously and knows an apology is long overdue,” said Sucato.

The incidents leading up to the attack are described differently in several accounts. As per the Navy, the conflict began when a Tlingit shaman named Tith Klane was unintentionally killed by an exploding harpoon gun on a whaling ship owned by the North West Trading Company.

Tlingit leaders requested 200 blankets in compensation, under cultural traditions.

Per Navy documents, tribal members may have brought the ship ashore and taken hostages, leading the firm to seek help from Cmdr. E.C. Merriman, the senior US officer in Alaska at the time.

However, the Tlingit community denies this version. Local leaders claim that no hostages were taken and that the tribe was simply mourning the shaman’s death.

When they were unable to meet Merriman’s demand for the blankets by the deadline, the Navy conducted an attack that destroyed Angoon, killing six children and depriving residents of food and shelter.

Tribal leader Dan Johnson Jr. recalled tales from his ancestors about the deadly winter, during which elders sacrificed their lives to provide food for the young.

Community leaders and victims’ relatives, including Sealaska Heritage Institute President Rosita Worl, joined Rear Adm. Sucato for the ceremony. Worl spoke on behalf of the community, acknowledging the Tlingit people’s resilience and commitment to preserve their tradition.

This apology comes after Angoon obtained a $90,000 settlement in 1973 to compensate for the destroyed property, but residents have since requested formal acknowledgement from the Navy.

Senator Lisa Murkowski, who attended the ceremony, said the apology was “long overdue,”.

The Navy apologized earlier this year for a similar attack on the village of Kake in 1869, and the U.S. Army also plans to apologize for another attack on Wrangell.

Reference: AP News, NYTimes

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