Southeast Alaska village of Kake welcomes artifacts -- some over 200 years old -- back home

[Judi Lynn]

By Clarise Larson, Juneau Empire
Updated: November 27, 2022
Published: November 27, 2022

Nearing the end of his flight from Seattle to Juneau, Frank Hughes looked out his plane window to the ground below where the outline of the Organized Village of Kake slowly appeared beneath him.

An excitement built in him, one that he said made him feel like his heart had just skipped a beat. Though Hughes has lived in the small Southeast Alaska Native village for years and has come and gone from it too many times to count, this time was different — because he wasn’t alone in coming home.

In the belly of the plane sat a sturdy black bin locked by zip ties and scattered with fragile stickers holding 25 Alaska Native artifacts ranging from spruceroot-woven baskets to ceremonial paddles to headdresses that were taken from the village in the early 1900s.

Many of the pieces are estimated to be more than 200 years old.

“We’re going home,” Hughes said. “These artifacts are coming home.”

More:
https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/rural-alaska/2022/11/27/southeast-alaska-village-of-kake-welcomes-artifacts-some-over-200-years-old-back-home/