Chief Shakes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page. It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve it by citing reliable sources. Tagged since November 2007. The notability of this article's subject is in question. If notability cannot be established, it may be listed for deletion or removed. Tagged since November 2007. It may need copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. Tagged since November 2007. It may require general cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.Tagged since November 2007. Sections should be added to this article, to conform with Wikipedia's Manual of Style. Tagged since November 2007.

This article or section needs to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (November 2007)

The Lineages of the Shakes

There was a man named Gush X’een (Dorsal Fin Screen) who lived at Ch’aal’it Aan.. He had been orphaned and was a Teikweidí named Joonák’w. The leader of the Naanya.aayí was a man named S.nóok who took a liking to the orphaned boy and asked to take care of him. He was raised and trained as a nephew and upon the death of S.nóok, became the leader of the clan.

The Stikine area was being invaded by the Naaskwaan (Nass River People), the Nishga part of the Tsimshian Nation. The leaders of the invaders were named Wiisheyksh (referring to the sound of a surfacing killer whale), Yaxweiyxsh and Xagáksh.

Wiisheiyksh asked for access to the Stikine and the food supplies associated with it. Gush X’een refused and Wiisheyksh issued an ultimatum and said they would return and take the land forcibly from the Naanya.aayí if they weren’t allowed access. Upon leaving they took the burial pole of the Naanya.áayi leader named Shaadeistí, who had died not too long before.

The Naanya.aayi prepared for war. Their íxt’ (shaman) told them when the Nishga were approaching. The Naanya.aayí moved to the mouth of the Stikine. Gush X’een ordered some of his men to stand at the base of the cliffs near the mouth of the river. The rest of the clan and those fighting with them (other clans from their village) retreated by the islands at the mouth of the river.

More than 100 canoes full of Nishga warriors are said to have approached the Naanya.aayí at the mouth of the river at which point Wiisheyksh, wearing emblems of the Killer whale and a headdress with the Killer whale emblem disembarked and approached Gush X’een.

He remarked on how foolish Gush X’een was to position himself at a point of no-retreat implying that he was trapped. He told Gush X’een, “Today you will carry my water for me.” indicating that he intended Gush X’een to be his slave at which point Gush X’een then signaled his men and hundreds of canoes came out from the surrounding islands and Jínt’eiyí (now called Farm Island) and Gush X’een responded to Wiisheyksh, “Today, it is YOU who will be carrying my water for me.”

The battle started and the Naanya.áayi had the upper hand and were killing the Nishga in great numbers, until about 150 had been killed. Wiisheyksh knew he could not win that battle and didn’t want to be the slave of Gush X’een either so he replied to Gush X’een, “I’ll give you my hat.” at which point he reached on his head and took off the Killer whale Headdress and handed it Gush X’een.

Without letting him finish the act Gush X’een took the hat out of his hands and upon placing it on his own head said, “Not only do I take your hat, I take your name as well.” So it was, that the name of Wiisheyksh became a Tlingit name of the Naanya.aayí and was shortened to Sheiyksh, now called Shakes (proper orthography would be Sheiks, pronounced as one “shakes” his head.).

A proper burial was held for these invaders from the Nishga villages of Mitlagaatla, Giitgáatla and Wakuutl’, members of the Laxsibuu and Giitxaangiik clans. “Warriors” of opposites were cremated in what could be called “full military honors” by the Naanya.aayí, what we say in Tlingit as Woosh yáa awudaéi or “Respect For Each Other.” Dying in battle was a courageous act the Shx’at Kwaan did not let it pass lightly. After the cremation ceremonies the Naanya.aayí loaded two canoes full of provisions and sent the Nishga home, well fed, and properly cared for.

A year later the Naanya.aayi learned the Nishga were returning. They moved to Lúkaax (Little Duncan Canal) and prepared for battle. The Nishga got stuck on the flats and announced from their canoes they wanted peace. A peace ceremony was held and names from both sides were given at this peace ceremony, and the title of “Shakes” was formally transferred at this time.

Names given at the peace ceremony were: Wandziiguuxshú, Gooxshú, and Yaskámtuuwaa.

After Gush X’een died, the title of Shakes passed on to his “maternal nephew”, his sister’s oldest son who was named Gookshí who became Shakes II. (This was his adoptive family as he wasn’t actually Naanya.aayí but a Teikweidí.) He didn’t live long and the title passed to his younger brother X’adanéik who was also known as as Tl’akwu Sheiyksh (Always Sheiyksh) and later as Shaawát Chooku Éesh (Short Woman, Father) who became Shakes III whose wife was a Gaanaxteidí woman from Tlakw Aaan (Klukwan) named Yoowduhaan.

His successor, Shakes IV, was originally known as Keishíshk’ whose wife was S’eitlin, a Deisheetaan (Gaanax.ádi) woman from Aan goon (Angoon). When this woman married she walked across eight tin.aa (coppers) at her wedding.

Upon his death he was succeeded by Kaawishté who became Shakes V and is the one who moved the village site from Kaasitl Aan to Kaachx’ Aan Aak’w, it’s present-day site. He held the title of Shakes longer than any others and died in 1878.

He was succeeded in turn by his own maternal nephew who was Gush Tlein whose mother was Koodeilgé and he became Shakes VI in 1878 upon the death of Shakes V and died in 1916. The next in line to succeed him would be his nephew, who was known in English as Charlie Jones, the son of a man from the Kaach.ádi clan named Kaakastoon and woman known as Kaagaxkweix, the sister of Shakes VI.

Charlie Jones was arrested in 1922 for voting. Native Americans were not considered “U.S. Citizens” at that time and were not allowed to vote. Upon being tried in court, and represented by the famous Tlingit attorney from Wrangell, Mr. William Paul (Shkúndee) of the Teehítaan Clan, Mr. Jones was acquitted and Indians were given the right to vote. This was also a time of strong missionary influence, especially by the Presbyterian Church that quite openly tried to ban the Tlingit culture, customs, and language, punishing students in their schools for speaking the language, jailing parents who kept their children at fish camps instead of sending them to “white schools”.

Adults who participated in cultural activities were banned from the church, dis-fellowshipped, and ostracized. As was the case, and still is today, the missionaries have confused the word “anglicize” with “evangelize”. Instead of spreading the “Good News” they wanted to make everyone “white” and so-called “equals”.

In Wrangell, the Presbyterian Church had a very large Native congregation. One white minister decided that the Indians should have their own church so they wouldn’t have to mingle. This was the notion of, “We want you to talk like us, dress like us, and be like us. Just don’t sit by us.”

The entire Native congregation, insulted by this move, moved out of the Presbyterian Church and invited the Episcopal Church into Wrangell, where it remains a strong influence to this day.

Along with the “white system” of laws, came their insistence that property no longer be passed from the uncle to the nephews and that the children are the rightful inheritors of said property. With that, the widow of Shakes VI kept almost all of the property of her husband and would not allow his nephew to take it. Eventually it started getting sold item by item.

In the 1930’s the Civilian Conservation Corps decided to build a model community house in the old style as there were some elders alive then who still remembered how they were built. The site selected in Wrangell was “Shakes Island”, where the main clan houses of the Naanya.áayi once stood. Charlie Jones, whose wife was of the Kaach.ádi clan of Wrangell, was the known successor to Shakes VI was asked to formally accept the title of Shakes VII.

In 1940, an elaborate house dedication was done, what is known in the Tlingit language as hit wóoshdei yadukicht or “dancing the joints of the house together”. At this same time, Shakes VII was formally installed the histories of the clan and name retold. Shakes VII died in January 1944 in Wrangell.

(The title of Shakes VIII was bestowed upon X’a.áxch, another nephew of Shakes VI in an informal ceremony after the passing of Charlie Jones. Around 1971 another claimant took the title Shakes IX but he was not widely recognized and the next heir, who should be Shakes IX will instead take the title of Shakes X whose mother has the name of Shakes VI’s mother and who is also the grandchild of Chief Kadashan whose wife was the sister of Shakes VI.)