Both are oppressed peoples for whom June 19 is a celebration of liberty. So while an increasing number of people nationally are participating in the now-federal holiday of Juneteenth commemorating the end of slavery, it’s also an official holiday for local tribal members observing Tlingit & Haida Day to celebrate their tribe’s federal recognition.
Which isn’t to suggest it’s an either/or occasion for Juneau residents.
“I’m going to celebrate both because I have mass respect for their culture,” said Hannahadina Kuhnert, who helped lead a Juneteenth Jubilee celebration at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library on Saturday.
Hannahadina Kuhnert, left, plays a zebra drum while Lacey Davis reads “The Night Before Freedom: A Juneteenth Story” during a gathering celebrating the June 19 holiday Saturday at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
About a dozen people came to the jubilee, listening to a reading of “The Night Before Freedom: A Juneteenth Story” by librarian Lacey Davis as Kuhnert provided a soundtrack by playing a zebra drum. Davis, who has previously spoken publicly about her experience with racism in local schools, also mentioned she had family members who were slaves before the Civil War.
“It’s a complicated topic to discuss Juneteenth and highlighting the origins of it,” she told the audience. Her long-ago family members “were taken from their homes, they were sold to people they did not know and they were forced to work.”
Pam Verebasaga, left, and her daughters Jemima, 17, Esiteri, 21, and Taraivini, 10, make replica djembe drums during a Juneteenth celebration at the Mendenhall Valley Library on Saturday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Those attending Saturday’s event then got a chance to observe and play a range of African instruments brought to the event, and make their own mini djembe drums with paper cups and various “shaker” sound fillings such as split peas and jingle bells.
Kuhnert then led most of those at the event in a singing and percussion procession of “When The Saints Go Marching In” outside the library, observed by only a few people entering and exiting the building.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but a bill passed by the state Senate in early May making it a state holiday failed to make it to a floor vote in the House. Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a proclamation on Saturday observing Juneteenth as an occasion to “recommit ourselves to the ongoing work of guaranteeing liberty for all Americans.”
“This is a day to recognize the evils of slavery, honor and respect the devastating impact slavery imposed on African Americans and our country as a whole, and engage in conversation to learn from our history,” the proclamation states.
Cagney Davis, left, and her mother, Suella, play some of the percussion instruments brought to a Juneteenth celebration Saturday at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
Also celebrating their liberty on Monday is the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, since on June 19, 1935, an Act of Congress was passed to recognize the Tlingit and Haida people as a single tribe. A post on the tribe’s official Facebook page notes the recognition came after the Alaska Native Brotherhood in 1929 passed a resolution to sue the United States government for the creation of the Tongass National Forest and the Glacier Bay National Park without the permission of the Indigenous people of Southeast Alaska.
“ANB was later advised that only federally recognized tribes can sue the United States over aboriginal land claims,” the Facebook post notes. “The ANB then petitioned the United States Congress to recognize the aboriginal people of Southeast Alaska as a tribe.”
An update Facebook post on Monday adds, “we are proud of this legacy and will continue to stand in our sovereignty to protect our lands, waters and resources, and ensure our children inherit their rightful heritage as Tlingit and Haida people.”
The tribe also has given recognition to Juneteenth, such as offering a half dozen ways for people to celebrate when the day became a federal holiday in 2021. Those included learning the history of Juneteenth, donating to supportive organizations, and wearing the red/green/black colors associated with the holiday (which allows for cultural overlap, given that red and black are among Tlingit & Haida’s official colors).
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
