It took 142 years, but an official apology has finally been made.
According to CNN, the U.S. Navy has formally apologized to the Tlingit people of Angoon for a devastating military attack that occurred 142 years ago, destroying their village and causing widespread suffering.
In 1882, the US Navy launched a brutal assault on the Tlingit community of Angoon, leaving the village in ruins and its people suffering immense losses. The attack involved incinerating homes, food supplies, and canoes, creating a dire situation for the survivors.
Exactly 142 years later, on October 26, Rear Admiral Mark Sucato publicly addressed this dark chapter, conveying deep regret for the Navy's past actions.
Mark Sucato's Statement Echoes Through Angoon
The ceremony, marked with transparency and somber remembrance, was broadcast live from Angoon. Rear Admiral Sucato, representing the Navy, spoke of the sorrowful and long-lasting effects wrought by this event on the Tlingit community.
The residents of Angoon, whose numbers mirror those during the tragedy, are currently centered around ecotourism, yet they still live in the shadow of their ancestors' hardships.
Rear Adm. Mark Sucato expressed the sentiments of the US Navy with profound clarity and genuineness:
The Navy recognizes the pain and suffering inflicted upon the Tlingit people, and we acknowledge these wrongful actions resulted in the loss of life, the loss of resources, the loss of culture, and created and inflicted intergenerational trauma on these clans.
Daniel Johnson Jr., a tribal head in Angoon, shared the collective sentiment of his people, emphasizing the historic wrongdoing they endured without cause. Following the apology, he reflected on the long-standing desire for acknowledgment and closure among the Tlingit.
Historical Accounts and Settlement Efforts
Historians and local traditions somewhat differ on the reasons behind the Navy's harsh intervention in Angoon. Despite these discrepancies, the factual atrocities remain undeniable. In 1973, the Department of Interior recognized the severity of the Navy's actions by granting the Tlingit of Angoon a settlement of $90,000, a gesture acknowledging the injustices inflicted.
Adding to a pattern of reconciliation, the Navy had previously apologized for destroying the Tlingit village of Kake in 1869, with additional plans reported for the Army to extend apologies for actions in Wrangell the same year.
Rosita Worl, president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute, poignantly noted the despair following the attack, with elders sacrificing themselves in hopes of preserving the future of their young.
Not only his spirit will be there, but the spirit of many of our ancestors, because we’ve lost so many.
Julianne Leinenveber, a Navy civilian spokesperson, echoed the sentiment that this formal apology, though delayed, was necessary to mend the historical rift and move forward collectively.
As Angoon observes this acknowledgment, the hope among its residents is palpable, as Eunice James, a descendant of a respected shaman lost in the calamities before the assault, emphasized the hope for healing that such an apology could further solidify.
The story of Angoon remains a profound narrative of survival, resilience, and now, the beginning of a reconciled peace.
