A few days ago approximately a dozen or so parishioners sat on wooden pews in the Klukwan church to listen to the sermon.
With an orchestra playing as they sing “Count the blessings” and “These are the days of Elijah.” Also while they listen a few people from the parish make animal hides.
Surprisingly, nothing has changed in the church’s services over the past few decades. The mainstay of the community was originally called Klukwan Presbyterian Church Klukwan Presbyterian Church — has been hosting regularly scheduled Sunday worship for over 100 years.
One thing about this church is that it has been changed the owner.
In November, a nationwide religious denomination called the Presbyterian Church transferred the deed to the Klukwan tribe in the context of an efforts to resolve past abuses by clergy members and educators towards Alaska Native people.
Church and tribal leaders affirmed that this was a significant step toward self-determination for Chilkat Indian Village. Chilkat Indian Village which is the tribe that is federally recognized in Klukwan.
“It is like it hits the center of your body that the congregation is still ours” added Jones Hotch who has been a long-time church member and an active participant in the Klukwan tribal council.
The idea was first proposed several years ago by the then pastor Jami Campbell following her witnessing an apology from the state level by the Presbyterian Church at the Alaska Federation of Natives conference in the year 2016.
Campbell has since retreated from Klukwan, but he returned to Klukwan for the ceremony on Oct. 8 ceremony.
“Being an integral part of the healing process is an incredible thing” she told me in an interview by phone from Washington state in which she lives. “They’ve obtained an element of power.”
Beginning with an apology
Lani Hotch, a long-time church member and cultural bearer in Klukwan she said that many of her fondest memories involve the church. When she was in her childhood living in Haines, Hotch remembered coming to church with her grandmother Jennie Warren wearing an elegant navy blue dress adorned with the white dots every Sunday. They would walk along the sidewalks of wooden constructions, and then to the wooden building Warren dressed in black leather shoes and modest heels, while keeping an check on the boisterous children.
Hotch expressed her love for the service and the connection the service brought to her family and to the tradition of the area. Her great-grandfather James Katchkanuk had purchased the cast iron bell in 1903. The church she attended continued until her adulthood.
Campbell stated that she was quick to recognize the significance of the church when she was tapped as the the pastor at Klukwan Church at the end of 2017. She was a part-time time as a volunteer cleaning the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center earlier in the year. Several church members asked her if she was interested in being a pastor. She made the decision with her friend in the month of September.
Campbell attempted to be a part of the community as fast as she could. However, the dark side of the church’s past in Alaska was gnawing at her. Campbell remembered seeing a form in the Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center to show that they were not Indigenous. It required the signature of five non-Native Alaskans in order to show that they are “civilized.”
The Presbyterian Church was a major factor in a variety of areas in Alaska and those in Chilkat Valley. Chilkat Valley. The church was especially active in missionary boarding school that took Alaska Native children away from their families to boarding schools and preventing local languages from being part of the “civilizing” task. The most famous of Presbyterians were Rev. Sheldon Jackson, who established an boarding school system throughout the state.
Soon after assuming the ministry of Klukwan, Campbell stumbled across the YouTube video of an apology issued by The Presbyterian USA denomination of the church for the abuses that occurred in the boarding school in Alaska. The address was given by Rev. Curtis Karns at the Alaska Federation of Natives gathering in Fairbanks in the year 2016.
“To the victims who were sexually, physically and emotionally abused while students of the Indian boarding schools, in that the (Presbyterian Church America) is a participant, we give our sincere apology. You were not guilty but you were the victims of horrific acts which cannot in any way be justified or excused.” Karns told the AFN convention, as per the Anchorage Daily News account at the time.
The revelation had a profound impact on Campbell who decided that the Klukwan church needed to issue an apology of its own. Then, in May 2019, Campbell delivered a sermon to the congregation of Klukwan’s heritage center. Klukwan heritage center, based in her Presbyterian USA apology from 2016.
“To the people who were sexually, physically or emotionally victimized as a result practices of assimilation, we’re sorry,” Campbell told congregants.
The ceremony wasn’t widely advertised at the time.
“They decided that they wanted the moment for it to be private,” explained Campbell. “They did not want to tell the local media at that moment to allow it to be a genuine, personal moment.”
Jones Hotch remembers being moved by the speech.
“Pastor Jami was very real. I stood up, and I told him ‘I’m accepting it. ‘” he said. “It was a fascinating thing to experience and witness in the real world.”
Campbell claimed that she was awed by the ceremony and felt this was a landmark moment in the church’s involvement in the local community. Campbell said she’s witnessed people who weren’t attending the event walk in front of her and repeat portions of the ceremony exactly word-for-word.
But, she acknowledged that there were some members who were not supportive and claimed that the church shouldn’t apology-making for distributing the gospel of God.
Lani Hotch, who has been a long-time church member and a culture bearer, told us it was bittersweet for her.
“It was wonderful that there was an apology following the fact but, inside my head, I’d already made the decision to move forward,” she said.
Hotch had completed an impromptu Klukwan Healing Robe Chilkat weaving projects in 2001, which was the turning point in slamming off the oppression of culture and embracing Tlingit culture for the entire community.
Campbell’s apology for Klukwan remains on the church’s wall.
Words and actions
After that apology Campbell was informed of an emerging movement in the Presbyterian USA denomination of returning church land towards Indigenous peoples. Campbell wondered whether the church would be willing to follow suit for the Klukwan church.
The property it was located on roughly halfway between the Chilkat River and the Haines Highway was the only piece of land owned by non-tribal residents in Klukwan. Campbell approached Presbyterian USA over email.
“Would you consider donating this Klukwan, Alaska church building to the Chilkat Tlingit people of Klukwan?” she wrote. “This is easily accomplished by gifting, donating or selling it for $1 to Chilkat Indian Village.” Chilkat Indian Village.”
Within one week, she received an email.
“I did not even realize the existence of a Church in that area,” said Dean Strong who was the clerk of the Northwest Presbytery at the time.
Strong dug through records Presbyterian USA kept in New York state to locate the property. There was no issue about whether to give the item back, Strong said.
“Once we discovered the facts about this property, we were thrilled to see it belonged to the Native American tribe own it. The property was owned by the tribe and their community center,” he said. “We’ve been working on doing this with all of our churches across our ancestral properties and reservations.”
The process of getting it passed by the tribal council took a little longer, but it wasn’t due to insufficient support. Jones Hotch said there were minor technical problems and an individual member of the council, Tony Strong, died.
“Just ordinary paperwork, but I believe the most difficult part was the formatting of the letter for the Borough,” he said.
In 2022 the tribal council accepted the transfer and the church was now part of the land of the tribe.
The COVID issues continued to be present within the village, so they decided to postpone an official ceremony until Oct. 8 of this year.
The celebration was held in the church. People brought in local food and were entertained by speeches.
“Not any empty seats on that day,” said Pat Warren who is a church elder. “There were fish and other sides it was a great occasion.”
A number of people discussed about the significance of the transfer of deeds, both for the tribe as well as the church.
Campbell also spoke and emphasized that it permits Klukwan’s residents Klukwan to decide the way they will honor their faith.
Klukwan the tribal Administrator Brian Willard and tribal council president Kim Strong spoke about the background of the church and what the importance of this transfer is.
“It was very welcoming, very joyful and very reflective as well as the excitement of moving towards the future,” said Al Giddings who was also officially sworn in by the congregation as a new church pastor at the ceremony.
Former pastor Campbell declared it was a time of celebration “but not all people are who were hooping around and shouting,” said Campbell. “It’s an act of joy where you recognize broken pieces coming back together.”
Campbell stated that the journey back home to witness the culmination of all of her effort was an emotional experience.
“Being involved in the healing process is an amazing experience,” she said. “The village has worked so hard for healing in order to maintain their traditions and their lifestyle. Now, the church isn’t blocking their progress and is instead an ally for the people of the village.”
Church members such as Lani Hotch have echoed this sentiment.
“I believe it’s helped in taking ownership of the issue and to be able to exercise the freedom we’ve always needed it’s just natural” she added.
Practically speaking, there are only a few but important distinctions. Hotch claimed that the church has the right to pick which denomination they wish to use for preaching.
At present, Giddings’ services are non-denominational. The tribe was able accept insurance on the building and provided some of the repairs to the structure.
Hotch suggested an upside to the story that, despite the mistreatment of the church, a lot prominent Alaska Native leaders have come from it such as civil rights activist Elizabeth Peratrovich, a prominent pastor and the elder Rev. Walter Soboleff, as well as William Paul, the first Alaska Native legislator.
The Klukwan church is now in tribal hands She said that the village will continue to develop new leaders and hopefully, put the shady practices to rest.
