Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

The Chilkoot Indian Association (CIA) purchased Fort Seward’s Parade Grounds from Alaska Indian Arts (AIA) on Dec. 20—ending more than a year-long question of what entity would own the property.

“With the transfer of ownership, the Chilkoot people have regained control of part of the land that they provided to Presbyterian missionaries at the end of the 19th century in order that a school be built for local children,” CIA wrote in a public statement.

The mission later ceded some of the land to the U.S. Army, which built Fort Seward in 1904. When the fort was closed, it was sold to military families.

CIA council president James Hart said the purchase of the Parade Grounds has historic significance for the tribe. At the time that Fort Seward property changed hands, Tlingits were punished for speaking their language or engaging in their traditional lifestyle. Now, Hart said, they’re reclaiming land that will be used, in part, to rejuvenate traditional Tlingit culture. CIA has recently started a Tlingit language program and hosted weaving, beading and other traditional arts classes.

“For us, a little over a hundred years later, having the opportunity to fully embrace and reclaim those traditional practices, to still be here and know who we are and where we came from, is pretty significant,” Hart said.

CIA’s primary task will be to rebuild the Noow Hit Tribal House. Tlingit elders guided the original construction of the historic building’s post-and-beam frame.

“These elders were also founding members of the ANB/ANS and were important in the Alaska Civil Rights Movement which resulted in the first Civil Rights Law in the Nation and the birth of labor unions,” CIA stated in a press release. “The sculptures inside and outside the house were made by famous Southeast Alaska carvers including Nathan Jackson, Leo Jacobs, Jeff David, Sr., John Hagen, Sr., and Bill Holm.

CIA tribal administrator Harriet Brouillette told the CVN the tribe aims to “breathe more life into that area.” She said the public should expect few changes other than the tribal house’s renovation.

“We will be using the tribal house for more traditional uses,” Brouillette said. “We’re not going to stop any of the uses that people have been doing for years. I don’t anticipate anything really changing other than a little more care of the lawn.”

Last year, AIA president Lee Heinmiller and board member Gershon Cohen unsuccessfully negotiated with Haines Borough Manager Annette Kreitzer for the borough to take ownership of the Parade Grounds in exchange for forgiving AIA’s $39,472.93 property tax bill. In late July, Kreitzer told the borough assembly she decided to end discussions due to a lack of assembly interest and some public opposition to subdividing the land, which contains a small commercial parcel, Old Field Kitchen, within the Parade Grounds. AIA paid its tax bill in August.

Members of the Gregg family, longtime Fort landowners on the Port Chilkoot Company board, which owns much of the Fort, voiced opposition to subdividing the property, citing concerns about maintaining its historic preservation status. Heinmiller is also the president of the Port Chilkoot Company and his family owns the majority of the company’s shares.

Tensions over the Parade Grounds reached a high last May when some Port Chilkoot Company board members opposed to subdividing the land were voted off by majority shareholders. The board shrank from nine members to five, and the Heinmiller family took over a majority share of seats on the board.

Old Field Kitchen is now leasing the land from CIA, Brouillette said.