Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

Dear Family, Friends and Colleagues,

The Kuiu Thlingit Peoples Respectfully Ask You To Pray for the Kuiu Island Peoples

        The US Supreme Court is hearing a “Quiet Title” lawsuit filed by the state of Alaska. The state is trying to take title to all the underwater lands in the Alexander Archipelago that includes Glacier Bay, the Tongass National Forest and areas around Kuiu Island and our ancestral waters. The Kuiu Tribal region is the cradle of much Thlingit spirituality, culture, law and history.

        Our people prefer to be self-sufficient, not relying upon handouts for food and shelter. Respect for and Preservation of Mother Earth and all her children is the cornerstone of our ecological beliefs. Living off the natural resources of the region, has always been the Kuiu Kwáan way of life. Access to traditional foods helps us maintain good health. We honor the tradition of the fruits of a harvest going first to elders, the infirm, widows, single mothers and others in need. No one has a lot while others go without.

        Federal statutes have offered some protection and guaranteed our ability to continue as a Thlingit People. If Alaska wins, the state will control all activities important to the life of the Thlingits such as traditional subsistence, fishing and gathering food. The state of Alaska takes the position that we Natives have no rights left.

        There is a Court higher than the United States Supreme Court – the Supreme Court of All the Universe. We are convicted that we need to bring our concerns for our Peoples and our ancestral lands and waters before the Creator's Throne. Monday, June 11, 2001 we embark on a ten day Pilgrimage of Prayer aboard the Tribal Fishing Vessel F/V Wolf Chief. During this time we will also be meeting with filmakers on Kuiu who are producing a program for public television on the Kuiu tribe.

        The concept is to step out in faith and hold a meeting of ceremony and prayer in Ketchikan, then journey around Kuiu Island and circle our beloved home with prayers to the Creator, Dikée Aankáawu, the Man From the Land Above. We intend to prayerfully lay our case before the Throne of God.

        We call on all our tribal members to take heart and have faith that great good can be achieved through intercession with the Creator of the Universe. We pray that the land be protected in its pristine state, that it be returned to its rightful owners and that we be able to feed our children and Elders and continue as a Thlingit People, honoring our culture and traditions. We pray that the Creator Bless and Protect the film crew that is journeying to Alaska to help us tell our story.

        To that end, we respectfully ask you to join us by lifting up the Kuius in prayer in your own tradition during our pilgrimage from June 11-21, 2001.

Kindest Regards,

ThlauGooYailthThlee,
Rudy Al James Kuiu Tribal Council Spokesman
What Staw, George Suckinaw James, Jr., Gowukaan Peacemaker
Diana James, Tribal Administrator

· To continue as a People
· Maintain our culture and spirituality
· Make a living in our traditional and customary way on our ancestral lands, waters and resources
· Protect the environment, naturally restore habitat and spawning creeks
· Save old-growth timber on Kuiu Island
· Harvest resources on a sustained yield basis
· Protect threatened and endangered species

Kuiu Post European Contact Timeline:

1836 First smallpox epidemic hits Kuiu Island.

1862 Smallpox introduced by contaminated blankets, decimates most of the Kuiu Kwáan.

1869 The US Military at Sitka, commanded by Jeff C. Davis, ordered a US naval vessel to bombard 8 Kuiu longhouses and systematically destroy canoes, hunting and fishing equipment.

1934 US Marshals forced Kuiu families out of their homes and off tribal lands at gunpoint under threat of prison sentences for adults and orphanages for the children.

1934 Clear-cut logging destroyed tribal lands on Kosciusko Island. Logging continues with no compensation to the tribe, while fragile eco-systems are beyond recovery.

1935 Three year old youngster (Elmer James) dies after Kuius were ordered to move into small, two-room substandard housing that did not keep out the Alaska damp, cold winds.

1950 Approximately 90% of the Alaska commercial fishermen were Indians with less than 10% of the fleet made up of immigrants.

1971 Kuiu, Tenakee and Yakutat Kwáans left out of Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

2001 Approximately 90% of the commercial fishermen are now non-Natives with 10% Indigenous. In the state of Washington approximately 900+ permits to fish Alaska are held by residents, doctors and lawyers who fish commercially "for fun," not to mention the foreign fleets who are licensed to fish the same waters.

· Out of more than 1600+ tribal members, the Kuiu tribe has only one license to seine salmon.

· The US Forest Service has allowed clear-cut logging on the northern end of Kuiu Island. Old growth timber is being taken without consideration for fragile eco-systems, plant and animal life.

· The state of Alaska has denied Indigenous Peoples customary use and trade, in conflict with US statute (ANILCA) that guarantees subsistence priority. Commercial fisheries are allowed to use methods that destroy ecosystems and engage in unbridled waste.

· Weirs (cement or wire barriers) set across rivers disrupt salmon spawning. Salmon runs on many rivers have been annihilated as a result.

· Alaska Fish and Game requires fishermen to throw dead King Salmon back into the ocean that have been caught while fishing for other species. The "incidental catch" law conflicts with tribal law prohibiting waste. Indigenous natives are not allowed to give the fish to elders or those in need.

· Elders have been jailed for catching salmon to eat and another Elder suffering from Parkinson’s disease was fined for walking down a road with a rod and reel "thinking about going fishing."

· Sea Otter have excessively proliferated and compete for seafood normally utilized by natives. Tribal members cannot make use of pelts because of unfairfish and game regulations.

· Winter’s deep snow causes deer to walk beaches to survive. Yearlings and adult deer have been shot by non-indigenous peoples for target practice by persons who go unpunished for wanton waste.

For more information contact Rudy James by e-mail