Overview

In the early 1940s, a boom in white migration to Southeast Alaska brought questions of land and resource rights to courts of law, where neither precedence nor evidence was sufficient to settle claims. In 1946, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs assigned a team of researchers—anthropologist Walter Goldschmidt, lawyer Theodore Haas, and Tlingit schoolteacher and interpreter Joseph Kahklen—to go from village to village to interview old and young alike to discover who owned and used the lands and waters and under what rules. Their mimeographed report, ""The Possessory Rights of the Natives of Southeastern Alaska,"" established strong historical evidence to support Native land claims. Haa Aaní, Our Land publishes this monumental study in book form for the first time. A reminiscence by Walter Goldschmidt and introduction by Thomas Thornton explain the genesis, context, and significance of the original report. Previously uncirculated testimony from the original 88 witnesses is included, along with a bibliography and an index of names, clans, and resources.

Full Product Details

Author:   Walter R. Goldschmidt ,  Theodore H. Haas ,  Thomas F. Thornton
Publisher:   University of Washington Press
Imprint:   University of Washington Press
Dimensions:   Width: 21.60cm , Height: 1.60cm , Length: 27.90cm
Weight:   0.635kg
ISBN:  

9780295976396

ISBN 10:   029597639
Pages:   260
Publication Date:   01 September 1998
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments A Note on the Pronunciation and Spelling of Native Words Introduction: Who Owned Southeast Alaska? by Thomas F. Thornton Remembering Alaska by Walter R. Goldschmidt Possessory Rights of the Natives of Southeast Alaska by Walter R. Goldschmidt and Theodore H. Haas Foreword Summary Part One: General Overview --I. Nature of the Investigation --II. Customary Land Use and Rights of the Tlingit and Haida --III. Natural Products Utilized in the Native Economy Part Two: Detailed Examination --IV. Chilkat Territory --V. Juneau (Auk) and Douglas (Taku) Territory --VI. Yakutat Territory --VII. Hoonah Territory --VIII. Sitka Territory --IX. Angoon Territory --X. Wrangell (Stikine) Territory --XI. Saxman and Ketchikan Territory --XII. Kasaan Territory --XIII. Kake Territory Appendices A. Native Testimony B. Natural Resources Commonly Used by Natives of Southeast Alaska C. Maps and Charts Bibliography Index of Resources, Clans, and People Tables

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Author Information

Thomas F. Thornton is dean of arts and sciences and vice provost for research and sponsored programs at the University of Alaska Southeast. He is the author of Being and Place among the Tlingit (University of Washington Press, 2015) and other books on Alaska Native culture and environmental anthropology.

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