Alaska State Library – Historical Collections

ASL-MS-0004-33-010

The History of Aukquon

This story begins aboute 15^th

century. At Stikine River now.

The people lives at Wrangell.

At that time people lived in

big houses. Some were built

out of Yellow Cedar bark its like

the shape of plywood.

Different tribes and clans

lived in different houses. The

people were strict with each

other. They word was law. The

Dog Salmon clan had a leader

now they call chief had one eye

All the family and relatives lived

in one big house.

One day the leader was at

home alone he had a old lady

slave watches over him. And

it happened the tire was out

He told the slave to go next

door to get the fire started.

She went and picked up a

burning wood. They teenagers

at home. They stopped the old

lady took the burning stick away from her.

They told her to acted like

her master which she did

closed one eye and looked

around. They sure made fun

of her.

They soon gave up and gave

her the fire. When she got back

she threw the burning wood in

the fire place she was mad

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The old man knew rightaway

something was wrong. He started

to ask questions. Then she got scared

and told the truth.

The old man got so mad

he called in all the people. He

told the people what happened he

was insulted. He sent his

nephews out to kill they killed

three people.

They sent out three men to

be killed the people were always

fair in everything why they

sent three men was to even

the score on each side.

They didn’t do anything because

they done wrong. So the old man

called a meeting. He told his

people to get ready to leave

As soon as they got ready

they left they sang songs while

they were leaving. They were

on the go for a few days then

they started looking up the Bays

and coves they were looking for

a place to make new settlement.

It was a hard trip some

times its rough weather and

raining with woman and kids

After so many weeks they came

to Stephens passage it was a slow

trip. Then they came by Taku

Inlet. They by pass it It didn’t

look promising to rocky.

They came by outside Douglas

Island. And they came

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into Youngs Bay here they saw

Hundreds of seal. Then at high

tide they saw the seals go up

the creek follow the fish. It had

a small entrance a big hole

behind it.

Then they had a plan by the

time the tide changes they anchor

the canoes at the entrance and

use paddles as plungers. And keeps

the seals in the hole.

By the time at half low tide

they moved the canoes out of side

and watch on the flats the creek

spreads out and very shallow.

Then the seals starts crawling

down towards the sea. The Indians

use clubs and kill all they can use.

Most of the people told they leader

to stay and make they new

settlement there.

But old man said they have

to go on. But he promised them

of they don’t find a place they

can always come back.

When they left some of the people

stayed so later on hey were called

Seal people. When they

left they came by Outer Point

and crossed Auk Bay and came

by now called Fairheaven.

The old man told the people

to land and he said this is

going to be our new home. It didn’t

take them long to start building

later on they built the first

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Dipper House they were busy

people. They soon find the Auk

Lake and they find out it was

a Sockeye creek. And they find

out the herring spawns there every

summer. Now Auk means lake

that’s how we got our name

Aukquon. Auk-People.

While they were still building

the old man told his nephews

to go back to Taku Inlet and see

whats up there. The boys happened

to go by at High Tide by accident they

came to the bar. They kept on going

to find out where it leads too

At last they came out at Gastineau

Channel. They saw different kind of

ducks by the thousands. Animals

bears and mountain goats were

the Governors mansion is now.

They liked to channel so much

they turned right back to report.

Then the old man came to see

for himself. Now he has another

problem he still liked Juneau

better. But in later years they

start moving to the real Auk

Village. After they rebuild again

They came to Auk Bay to

put up food in the winter

time they live here Auk Village

We the Auk Tribe we claimed the

land from Berners Bay to Bishop point.

And each clan and Tribe claimed

many different places for hunting

fishing and trapping. My clan

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claimed Seymour Canal and thats

where I was born Present Bay all

thost places no other Tribe or clan

can’t go in unless he gets permission

to hunt.

We always have a man at

Olivers Inlet were you go thru

th ePortage into Seymour he acts

and Game Warden other clan has

to get permission to go in and

we didn’t charge entry fee.

Just before the white people came

the Auk people had homesteads for

the summer My Aunt and her

sister they had a summer home

there where the Airport is now they live

there in the summer and smoke fish

thats where my first cousin Henry

Croply was born still alive.

My Grandmother had homestead

at Sheepcreek which was later called

Thane thats grandma got her name

Sheepcreek Mary. her son was also

called Sheepcreek Jim he also had

homestead north side of Sheepcreek.

I am named after Sheepcreek Jim

in Thlinget. The Auk people was

never idle they are always on the go

prospect for new things. One man

he always going places he had a

slave. One day they went up

Taku Inlet. When they came up

to Taku Glacier it was clean across

the Taku River it damed up the

Taku River. The man and his

slave went above the Glacier

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They looked at the flats way up

and they saw smoke the man

told his slave people are living

up the flats. They went back and

packed they things above the Glacier

Then they pulled up they canoe

and went up the flats. They were

greeted by the Taku Tribe.

The people were feeling bad they

showed the man the only tool

they had made of something hard

like iron they broke the only

one they had.

This one had one shaped like

half round chisel theirs was shaped

like adze. After a long stay the man

and his slave got ready to go back

home They gave a party with them

and just before they left they gave

gifts of all kinds mostly fur.

They went down the same way

they came. They moved the canoe

and things below the falls.

The old Indians used to claim

if a person kills some animal

like seal on a iceberg if you skin

it and butcher it the blood will

break up the iceberg.

When this man was ready

to leave. He took the slave

up to the edge of the Glacier.

He killed the slave and put him

at the edge and cut him up.

His blood and flesh started to

break up the ice. And it formed

a small channel. It took some-

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time the channel got deeper

and deeper. It took about a year

it came down to sea level

The Taku people don’t know what

caused the water to do down

And what that noticed was

the tide reaches them it goes up

and down. They went down

river to investigate. They waw

what happened. Then after some

time they got a bigger canoe

And the first time in there

lifes they came down the coast.

The first thing they find out was

the sea was salty. They looked

all over the country.

When they came back up the

river they told the people. Its

sure easy living on the coast

easy to get food.

So all the people agreed to move

They moved down and started to

build a village called Taku Village

by Point Bishop. But the wind

hits there after so many years

they moved most of then to Auk

Village Douglas Speel River and

Sumdum Bay. Some of them had

homestead at Taku Harbor.

Aboute the Glacier dammed

up the River after it went down

to sea level. Today you still

can see the water marks the

tree breanches are light blue

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The trees thats been above the

water line is dark green.

After so many years the Auk

Tribe started to go places They

went up North as far as Cape

St. Eliase [St. Elias] And down south they went

as far as Seattle Vancouver.

Just before the whiteman came

Sheepcreek Mary use to go on trips

to Vancouver and Seattle to trade

she was the first woman to bring

hudson Bay blankets. Its been popular

blankets among the Indians.

Some of the old timers still have

some of the blankets. During those

trips they got they first guns

called flint lock. The Indians

used lot of different kind of bullets

Leads were scarce so mostly

they used gold nuggets for bullets

They use it over and over again

they shoot game certain spots so

the bullet won’t go thru and lose it

it was easier to pound it to fit in

the gun barrel.

The white people find this

out so they went after the Indians

to find out where they got it from

when Richard Harris and Joe Juneau

came. One of them went after the

Indians. He offered the Indian

one box of pilot bread. They claim

at the time it worthed 25cents.

Mr Indian didn’t know the

value of gold. We were blindfolded

we show the whiteman where the

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gold was up the basin

Thats how gold was discovered

Treadwell mine in Douglas was

one of the richest.

My dad worked of and on

since 1909. He quit just before

the cave in . There was

already loose ore to come up

from the mine when it caved

in 1917. it worthed one million

dollors.

All those things belonged to us

Auk Tribe. But the whiteman made

the laws and left us out

Mr Whiteman took our hunting

and trapping grounds to build

canneries. They chased us off

they mining grounds were we use

to put up our food no one can’t

step on the ground its patent ground.

By the time the white people

came. We had homes homesteads

from Norway Point to as far as

Sheepcreek. But later in years they

moved us. The town wanted a

ground to build a power house

of all the places they could build

a road and fenced us in as

Juneau started to grow our village

grew smaller. Before that we lived

all over my uncle lived on top

of the hill. Where the Governor

mansion now stands Sheepcreek

Mary was the smartest woman

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among Auk Tribe she acted

as supervisor when people start

coming she can’t write never speak

English much but she had brains

She was the first woman to

record the lands she claimed

when she died she own 160 acres

of land in Juneau. She owned

lands in Auk Bay. She sold

two lands in Auk Bay one for

Herring Plant and one to Carlson

for cannery site.

They use to say its Indian

land now they say whitemans

land. As a Chief today by Heritage

I’ll say that whiteman don’t own ahy-

thing according to law till you

pay in full amount and with

interest

We use to fight with

tomahawks but today we use

the same weapon whiteman uses

the law book.

I have read storys aboute

my people at the librarys none of

them are true part of it is that

how I started writing. Lots of times

there is a questions how do the

Indians know so much they history

and everything and they can’t write

there language.

They were some people born

among us were gifted they learn

things they never forget anything

they are the ones becomes a story

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tellers they go on from generations

to generations. Now our history

is carved on the totem pole one

little totem the history and stories

will fill a book.

Today as I write my stories some

people contradict the stories I write

they say its wrong so I like to see

someone to write a history of the

Capitol better then I can.

I have listened to old timers since

a kid I learned lot of things from

the beginning we had Indian Doctors

they had power and they can look

into the future. So many years back

we knew our future we know

whats ahead of us.

Some people say the Auk Tribe

are decreasing we not. Some people

got on T.V. claimed they the highest

Auk Tribe as an Auk Tribe my cousin

was Chief Rudolph uncle Chief Kowee

Chief Frank Shorty uncle.

On my father’s side Eagle Tribe Clan

brown Bear his uncle was Chilkat Chief

Ko-da-na-ha. Sheepcreek Mary

married Taku Tribe so I branch of also

into Taku Tribe on Sheepcreek Marys

side I am Dog Salmon clan Raven

Auk Tribe.

Now today we are losing every-

thing our history our carving’s after

so many years we won’t see

any real Indian design we will

alright But its going to be just

imitation. I have ask lot of the

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older people aboute our old stories

They don’t remember much now.

They don’t tell stories much todays

generation won’t listed to them still

they teach Indian Culture

We are losing lot of things we

still carve totems paddles But we don’t

know the history. I am going to try

to save our stories as much as I can

in writing for our State library.

Since we Auk Tribe left Stikine

our leader had a real hard time

to choose a Village site.

And I am proud he choose Auk

Village now it stands at the Capitol

of Alaska. I read stories aboute

Richard Harris and Joe Juneau

founders of Juneau not once they

never mention the Auk Tribe were

here. My ancestors were already

here to Greet them.

My forefathers were here and they

were the ones paved the way for the

Capitol of Alaska – Juneau. When things

were traced back to Stikine, I am

related to Chief Shakes Wm. L. Paul Sr.

my uncle on my fathers side from

Chilkat his uncle was Chief Ka-da-na-ha

Sheepcreek Mary married Taku

Tribe so I am also related to Chief

Ah-Na-Cha- House of Taku the last Taku

Chief his Nephew James Fox also my

first cousin. I have a niece Marion

Ezzere in Thlinget named after Sheep-

creek Mary. Gon-Cla (Kaw-Claa) Also Mary

Yumol They are the highest in Auk

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Tribe. The princess of Auk Village

They uncles and cousins were chiefs

On our mans side still living

and the oldest clan Henry Cropley Sr.

Roy Williams George Williams. We

are the Grand sons of Sheepcreek

Mary Tribe Raven clan Dog Salmon

Auk Village known in Thlinget flounders

creek. The last I want to mention

Richard Harris married an Auk

maid my clan I thank you

With best regards

Chief Phillip Joseph,

230 So. Franklin St. #301

Juneau Alaska 99801

Personal names:

Chief Shakes 

Chief Ka-da-na-ha

Ezzere, Marion

Frank Shorty, Chief

Harris, Richard

Henry Cropley Sr.

Joseph, Chief Phillip

Juneau, Joe

Ko-da-na-ha, Chief

Kowee, Chief

Paul, Wm. L. Sr.

Rudolph, Chief

Sheepcreek Jim

Sheepcreek Mary - Gon-Cla (Kaw-Claa)

Williams, George

Williams, Roy

Yumol, Mary

Place names:

Auk Bay (Alaska)

Auk Village (Alaska)

Auk Village (Alaska)

Berners Bay (Alaska)

Cape St. Elias (Alaska)

Douglas (Alaska)

Douglas Island (Alaska)

Fairheaven  (Alaska)

Gastineau Channel (Alaska)

Juneau (Alaska)

Norway Point (Alaska)

Olivers Inlet  (Alaska)

Outer Point  (Alaska)

Point Bishop  (Alaska)

Present Bay  (Alaska)

Seattle, WA  

Seymour Canal  (Alaska)

Sheepcreek  (Alaska)

Stikine River  (Alaska)

Stikine River  (Alaska)

Taku Harbor  (Alaska)

Taku Inlet  (Alaska)

Vancouver, BC

Wrangell  (Alaska)

Youngs Bay  (Alaska)

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