Metlakatla executives stress their doors are open for business – KHNS Radio

The Metlakatla Indian Community is home to Alaska’s only native reservation, located on Annette Island, less than 20 miles south of Ketchikan. Yet many locals have never made the trip.

After the final day of the Ketchikan-hosted Southeast Conference in late September, Metlakatla Mayor Albert Smith brought a group of attendees across the channel to show what the community of about 1,500 has to offer – and emphasized that its doors be open.

Shortly after arriving at the port of Metlakatla, Smith gathered the visitors and led them into the longhouse. After being seated in the ballroom, the 4th generation Tsimshian dancers were introduced to the crowd.

During the first song, one of the dancers wore a high, open headdress, which another dancer carefully filled with down feathers.

“The down that is put there is a sign of peace, and so we welcome you all,” said Matthew Bergtold, who led the group.

As the song began and the man in the headdress began to dance, the down slowly fell to the floor.

The group was made up of adults and children, some barely old enough to walk but all obviously eager to take part in the performance. They wore various pieces of traditional regalia, many with flowing red and black robes with the distinctive line patterns of the Northwest Coast style.

Each of the songs had a different meaning and purpose, from celebrating victory to salmon fishing to cheering on the high school basketball team.

When introducing the dances, the name David A. Boxley kept coming up. He is a well-known Tsimshian totem carver who wrote many of the songs in the 1980s and 90s, and his son David R. Boxley is currently a member of the Metlakatla Indian Community Tribal Council. After the performance, the younger Boxley reflected on the meaning of the dances.

“It’s a great little 40-minute snapshot of traditional Tsimshian culture through song and dance,” Boxley said.

Leaders like Boxley hope these cultural connections can attract more visitors to the island.

The reason the songs were written relatively recently, Boxley explained, is because they were prevented from practicing their Tsimshian culture for many years after European colonization.

“My father’s generation grew up without any of that. Their parents were punished for speaking our language,” he said. “The remnants of our ancient people who came to us had to make the transition to a world that was no longer ours.”

Boxley said even before the Tsimshian group moved to Metlakatla in 1887, they had long been forced to abandon their traditional way of life.

However, in the 1970s, a children’s dance group was formed and local arts began to be taught in schools. Then, in 1982, his father hosted the first Metlakatla potlatch, a ceremonial gathering of Witnesses at which totem poles were often erected. When the centennial celebrations came around in 1987, Boxley said the adults wanted to dance along.

“So the 4th generation dancers mean they are the fourth generation since the founding of Metlakatla,” Boxley explained.

Through his father, he was able to have a front row seat in the revival of Tsimshian culture. But Boxley said there is still work to be done.

“Our language is in a bad state. There is only one person left in this village who speaks our language fluently and there are 63 speakers of our language left in the world,” he said. “But through the council we were able to set up a cultural heritage department and start working on language courses and things like that.”

Boxley said he is excited about this tribal council, which for the first time in his life is made up of Millennials and Generation Xers.

“And I think the progress we’re making in the community shows this new, rejuvenated perspective,” Boxley said. “We’re growing and we want people to see it. We don’t want to be isolated.”

A big part of that growth is the Southeast Winds Casino, which offers bingo nights and nearly a hundred electronic slot machines. Several jackpots were won on the day of the tour.

If you plan to stay in Metlakatla for longer than three days, you will need a visitor pass. But Boxley said if you want to gamble at the casino over the weekend or just spend a few days experiencing the cultural and natural beauty of the village, they would be happy to have you.

“We like to be good hosts. It’s actually part of our culture,” Boxley said. “The word for ‘welcome’ does not mean ‘welcome’ in our language. It means “a place is ready for you” or “the fire is lit”, you know, it’s a warm place. Something like “Come in.” This is “welcome” to our people.”

As the group of conference-goers left the casino to board the boat back to Ketchikan, locals paused their bingo game to offer a hearty thank you to their guests and a round of applause.