Project Jukebox

Digital Branch of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Oral History Program

Project Jukebox Survey

Help us redesign the Project Jukebox website by taking a very short survey!

Field Trip to Dry Bay, Part 1
Field Trip to Dry Bay

Sally Edwards, Lorraine Adams, Fred White, Mary Ann Porter, and George Ramos were recorded on May 3-4, 1998 in Harold Robbins' cabin at Dry Bay, Alaska. This is the first interview of the field trip where members of the Gunaxoo Kwaan traveled from Yakutat to Dry Bay with National Park Service employees to search for lost village sites and record recollections of life at Dry Bay. A slideshow, including photos of the participants and scenes from the field trip, accompanies the interview. In this first interview, the various speakers talk about genealogy and family ties to the Dry Bay area, the history of Dry Bay houses and clans, cultural protocols of names and naming, and changes in methods of travel in the area.

Digital Asset Information

Archive #: Oral History 2001-10-02_PT.1

Project: Dry Bay
Date of Interview: May 3, 1998
Narrator(s): Sally Edwards, Lorraine Adams, Fred White, Mary Ann Porter, George Ramos, Members of Gunaxoo Kwaan
Location of Interview:
Funding Partners:
National Park Service
Alternate Transcripts
There is no alternate transcript for this interview.
Slideshow
There is no slideshow for this person.

After clicking play, click on a section to navigate the audio or video clip.

Sections

1) Genealogy of Dry Bay houses.

2) Genealogy of the five original houses in Dry Bay area.

3) Genealogy

4) Genealogy

5) Genealogy

6) Genealogy

7) Genealogy

8) Genealogy

9) Genealogy

10) Genealogy

11) Genealogy

12) Genealogy

13) Genealogy

14) Genealogy

15) Genealogy

16) Genealogy

17) Changes in ways of getting around the area.

18) Adventures in bear country.

Click play, then use Sections or Transcript to navigate the interview.

After clicking play, click a section of the transcript to navigate the audio or video clip.

Transcript

Section 1: Auntie Ester -- information\ George, Susie -- Sigurd's mother\ George, Jessie -- Susie George's sister\ Dick, Frank -- Sigurd's uncle\ survey papers -- 1902\ DeLaguna -- book\ houses -- built 1902\ tribal house -- Diginaa hít\ Dry Bay Jack -- Sigurd's mother's great uncle\ Dry Bay Chief George\ Louie, Dixie Dick George -- Sigurd's grandmother\ grave -- Old Kantak|

Section 2: George, Jessie\ tribal houses -- five\ Dick, Frank -- Sigurd's uncle\ Mountain House -- Shaahít\ Mt. Fairweather\ Far Away House -- Daginaa hít \ Far Away House -- raven\ Dry Bay Chief George\ Dry Bay Jack\ cannery|

Section 3: Far Away House\ Edwards, Sigurd -- family home\ (Naderstat's)\ Gus'eix\ Akwe\ family home -- Tsalxaan yádi, Gus'eix yádi\ Mt. Fairweather -- Tsalxáan hít]\ Boulder House -- Itc Hit\ White, Charlie\ Johnson Slough\ Canoe Prow House\ Dry Bay\ Mountain House|

Section 4: Boulder House -- rebuilt\ Situk River\ Johnson Slough\ Boulder House\ Blain, Jim\ Naatskéek'\ Sitka, AK\ Naatskéek' -- different generation\ Dick, Frank -- Sigurd's uncle\ Dick, Frank -- Freddy White's grandfather\ Dick, Mary -- Freddy White's grandmother\ Dick, Maggie -- Freddy White's mother\ Adams, Lorraine -- related to Frank Dick\ Whale House\ Gus'eix\ Paddy, Jenny\ Yáakwaan, Abraham|

Section 5: George, Annie -- last name Abraham\ Yáakwaan, Annie\ Tlingit name -- Yáakwaan\ last names -- different\ Abraham brothers\ Paddy, Jenny -- sons\ English name -- Joseph\ Yáakwaan, Joseph\ Italia, Max -- Yáakwaan's son\ James, Ned -- Yáakwaan's son\ Frog House -- Sitka, AK\ Staagwaan -- Russian origination\ James, Daryl -- Kaxaxa|

Section 6: Adams, Robert\ Adams, Bert -- T'aaw yéil\ Louie, Dixie -- Xéel'i\ Dry Bay Charlie -- Dixie's brother\ Sitka, AK -- potlatch\ travel -- water canoes\ Xéel'i -- Sigurd's grandmother\ Xéel'i -- Frank Dick's mother|

Section 7: Jackson, Harry -- potlatch\ Washington state -- move\ Henry, Paul\ Monti Bay Foods -- work\ Dick, Frank\ potlatch -- changes over generations\ Adams, Lorraine -- Tlingit name\ Louie, Jessie George -- Naa Shaawu\ Gunaa Sháa\ Takwon family\ King, Mary -- sister\ Metlakatla, AK\ Angoon, AK|

Section 8: Lituya Bay\ Jackson, Harry -- potlatch\ grandparents -- naming\ clan houses\ Gus'eix\ Dry Bay area\ Shádix Kadusnéek -- Fred's son\ Shádix Kadusnéek -- named by grandfather\ house -- T'akdeintaan|

Section 9: Whale House -- Sitka, AK\ Whale House -- Gus'eix\ Whale House -- Yaay hít\ Sea Lion House -- Taan hít\ Frog House\ Boulder House\ Johnson, Minnie -- end of Boulder House\ Gray, Harold -- Minnie's son|

Section 10: White Frog -- foundation\ dleitxíxch'i hít\ Frog House -- 3 Tlingit names\ Xíxch'i hít\ Dleit xíxch'\ Dook sa.áat'\ Dry Bay Chief George -- original name given to Robert\ Dry Bay Chief George -- 3 Tlingit names\ Kaawus.aa\ Kusán\ Jisneey\ Adams, Robert -- (Dishnia)\ Dry Bay George's grandfather -- Kaawus.aa\ tribe -- Lukaax.ádi|

Section 11: Gus'eix -- Yaay hít\ Whale House -- Kaalgéik\ DeLaguna's book -- Staagwaan mistake\ Grandma Annie\ trading -- coast\ Johnson, Vincent -- Sigurd's brother\ Johnson, Vincent -- adopted\ Edwards, Sigurd -- birth\ cannery\ Peterson, Ester -- midwife\ Dick, Hilda -- Frank Dick's wife\ Dick, Sam\ Dick, Hilda -- Galyáx Kaagwaantaan|

Section 12: Johnson, Ester\ Peterson, Ester -- daughter of Lituya Bay Chief George\ Yei tanduléin gaaxw éesh\ tribe -- Shungukeidí\ Johnson, Vincent -- adoption\ Edwards, Sigurd -- mother\ tribe -- L'uknax.ádi\ Lituya Bay -- áyá da.aayí|

Section 13: Lituya Bay George\ English -- second language\ Harry, Edna\ native language -- punishment\ Yakutat -- native speakers\ Farkas, Lena\ Lord, Nellie\ native language -- recording\ languages -- different way of thinking\ Sigurd's father -- Norwegian\ Bert's grandfather -- Swede|

Section 14: White, Freddy\ Dick, Frank\ Edwards, Sigurd\ Johnson, Tony -- Sigurd's great-nephew\ Johnson, Joe -- Hoonah, AK\ relations\ Situk Jim's brother -- Sally's father\ John, Maggie\ Shodda, Emma -- 1st cousin of Sally's father\ Farkas, Lena\ Lord, Nellie\ Game, Charles -- Sally's cousin\ genealogy papers\ Boswell, Billy -- Sally's grandfather\ Boswell, Billy -- French Canadian\ Cordova, AK\ Boswell Bay|

Section 15: Boswell, Billy -- fox farm\ Hinchinbrook Island\ Boswell, Billy -- death certificate\ Cordova, AK -- library\ Anchorage, AK -- library\ Juneau, AK -- library\ John, Maggie -- father\ Teikweidí\ William, Paul\ tribe name -- sh dul'éiw\ Adams, Lorraine -- father\ Sato, Sam -- Lorraine's grandfather\ Hansen, Situk Slough\ Situk River\ family -- raising habits\ tribal houses\ Hansen, Situk Slough -- Kwaask'i Kwáan\ Moon House|

Section 16: Cannery -- shut down\ Edward, Sigurd -- birth\ Muddy Creek\ Akwe River\ Italio River\ Middle River\ Dangerous River\ Anklin\ Yakutat, AK\ Situk River\ portaged -- 1932\ K'atxaan hít\ tribal house\ Situk -- wintering\ Dry Bay people\ tribal houses -- community\ Xoots hít\ Johnson Slough\ Boulder House -- Eech hít\ White, Charlie\ Johnson, Minnie\ potlatch|

Section 17: machinery -- modern\ houses -- building\ travel -- foot\ travel -- canoe\ travel -- car\ transportation -- four-wheelers\ Johnson, Vincent\ cannery -- stained glass\ cemetery -- Sigurd's brothers\ Edwards, Sigurd|

Section 18: phonograph records\ Johnson, Vincent -- mother\ bear\ earthquake|