On this day 144 years ago, the U.S. Navy bombed Angoon, a Lingít village on Admiralty Island near Juneau. It killed at least six children. Clan houses, food caches and canoes were also destroyed.
Just two years ago, Navy representatives finally formally apologized to the village for the devastating and deadly shelling. Angel Jack, 18, was at the apology. She and several high school students in Angoon created short films to document and capture what it meant to the community.
In an interview last week, Jack said she feels it’s important to share both the pain that has come from the tragedy and the healing that has happened since.
“Sharing the history of my community is very important to me because there’s a lot of history in these villages around Southeast, and a bunch of people don’t know about it,” Jack said. “When they see these videos, they get a better understanding of what happened and why it has affected us, and why we want to keep that history alive.”
Jack’s film, called “Healing Through Time”, went on to win an award at the Hawai’i International Film Festival and was featured at the Banff Mountain Film Festival last year.
Jack made the film with support from See Stories, a nonprofit that leads digital media workshops for youth across Alaska. She said it helped her learn new things about herself and her community.
“I definitely have grown, and I’ve definitely learned a lot of new things, especially about the bombardment,” she said. “I feel like every year when I hear this story, I’m learning something new that I’ve never known.”
In her film, Jack interviewed Navy and tribal leaders and youth. Those voices include tribal leader Matthew Carlson, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark Sucato and community member Keagan Hasselquist.
