A sign welcomes people to Craig on Prince of Wales Island. (Photo by Elizabeth Jenkins/KTOO)
A Sukteeneidi honor pole will be raised at a potlatch in Craig in mid-September. The pole pays respects to those buried at the Craig Alaska Cemetery.
The pole was carved by Jon Rowan, a master carver from Klawock . Rowan’s Tlingit name is Tooyeek.
Edward Thomas will be giving the pole’s dedication at the raising ceremony, which is scheduled for September 17.
He said that the figure on the top of the pole wears a Dog Salmon hat with a Dog Salmon staff. Rowan noted that honors Thomas’ uncles. The figure is followed on the pole by Raven, and then a bentwood box. Thomas said the box held clan treasures in care of the uncles.
“The Sukteeneidi Clan (Tlingit/Raven/Dog Salmon) respectfully calls on the spirit of Haa Shuk’a, our forefathers, to honor those who rest on these sacred grounds and provide everlasting comfort to their families who are the fiber that holds our communities together in peace, prosperity, and fellowship,” Thomas wrote in program materials for the raising.
After the pole is raised there will be a Kaagwaantaan naming ceremony. Thomas said the ceremony is for those being adopted into the clan or those born into the clan who do not yet have a name.
The raising is tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. on Sept. 17, according to program information from Thomas. The naming ceremony is tentatively set for 7:30 p.m.
Raegan Miller is a Report for America corps member for KRBD. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep her writing stories like this one. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution at KRBD.org/donate.
