Apology

by Gabbi George-Frank

The word apology in relation to Native American and Indigenous populations in the US has some controversy because apologies from the US government have been seen as inadequate in the past. There’s different viewpoints on the value of an apology and what it can actually mean. There are so many tribes that fall under the Native American category that the traditions of each can’t be generalized to the entire continent. It is with this in mind that I share what an apology can mean to my people. I’m Lingít and I grew up in my clan house, Kéet Ooxú Hít. The pay off parties I went to growing up, the songs I’ve learned, and the names I’ve gotten, have all kept my culture alive inside of me. It is with the values my great grandparents instilled in me that I acknowledge the value of an apology. It is with the same values that I seek authenticity in apologies. I have been told by elders in my community that it takes strength to admit you were wrong. In my tribe we’ve always had a tradition of making things right, clans must pay for events that are disrespectful. If one person in a clan insults another clan, that person’s entire clan has to pay for it. If the situation isn’t corrected the disrespected clan can take the crest of the offenders. My mother, Shgen George, is a house master in our village and she told me, “Apologies are a way of making things right.” It’s about admitting you were wrong.

I do not call all of the following apologies ideal, and I am not saying that all it takes is nice words to make up for generations of trauma and abuse. Nothing can actually fix the past, the violence lives on. Every step taken to remember and acknowledge that violence has some level of importance. If one person can hear an apology and feel as though what happened to their relatives is being brought to light, and they feel their pain is authentically seen, then that apology is not worthless. There doesn’t have to be a choice between apologies and action, they can go hand in hand. Everyone’s experience is different, everyone’s tribe is different, and making broad claims about all Native Americans is not something I aim to do. Instead I would like to contemplate what makes a ‘good’ apology, and analyze an apology which took place recently in my village, for an event which caused well over a century of pain. I also intend to criticize two apologies that don’t have the same level of merit.

S.J.RES.14

The Congressional S. J. RES.14 was an attempt to apologize to Indigenous peoples on behalf of the US government, and it lacked authenticity, as well as the level of accountability that should be provided given the historical context. They covered many bases and still managed to minimize the generational trauma involved with the horrors Indigenous peoples have faced directly because of the U.S. government. It downplays the current issues Indigenous peoples face, and tries to make it seem like there was some sort of even playing field between Native people and the colonizers. The apology minimizes the brutality involved with the genocide by stating,“Whereas while establishment of permanent European settlements in North America did stir conflict with nearby Indian tribes, peaceful and mutually beneficial interactions also took place.” It continues to say, “Whereas Native Peoples and non-Native settlers engaged in numerous armed conflicts in which unfortunately, both took innocent lives, including those of women and children.” This line presents the past in a way that implies some semblance of equality in the harm done. By trying to spread the blame out and point out the ‘good’ interactions this apology fails at attempting to do what it’s intended to do, which is placate Native people.

Biden’s Apology

Joe Biden recently made an apology for the US government’s use of boarding schools. This apology resonated with some people but for many it fell short as well. Biden’s apology doesn't try to distribute the blame and recognizes some of the horrors faced at residential schools, but this is a broad topic. These institutions affected tribes across the country and the acknowledgement of the trauma that originated from boarding schools meant more to some than it did to others. There wasn’t any sort of culturally based practice and there was really no way for this apology to be as meaningful as ones done on a personal scale. Again it’s all very circumstantial, and this, while more productive than the congressional resolution signed by Obama, was still never going to provide peace to the majority of people who were taken– or had family taken, by these ‘schools.’

U.S. Navy Apology in Angoon, Alaska

The apology that took place in my village, Angoon, had a profound effect on the community. Part of what made this apology so special is that it had been in the works for decades. In 1882 the United States bombed, burned, and pillaged my village. An Ixt, or medicine man, had died from a harpoon exploding in a whaling station. This death led to traditional mourning period activities, including the painting of faces and the stopping of work. These practices were seen and misconstrued by the superintendent of the whaling company, who chose to go to the navy in Sitka and say that the Lingít people were holding hostages. One of the Lingít customs is that when a death is caused someone has to pay. The clan requested 200 blankets for the death, which could be negotiated. There had been a previous Navy commander who put in the efforts to understand the local customs, and he had been replaced with someone who held a deep disdain for the Indigenous community in Southeast Alaska. The commander before followed Lingít law, and recognized the compensation for deaths. The new commander came in and told the village that if they didn’t provide the Navy with 400 blankets they would burn the village down and destroy all the canoes. The village was able to put together 81 blankets, so they bombed and burned Angoon. The Navy did the same to our summer village nearby, where people went to fish and gather in the summer. It’s important to note the place and date of the bombardment, Alaska in October. The time of year meant that food had been prepared all summer to last throughout the winter, and the Navy burned these food stores. Being the only village on the island of Admiralty, my people traveled by water, they chopped up the canoes, as well as tied some together and brought them to the water to sink. Burning the food and getting rid of the way in which people would be able to get more food, led to many deaths in the community, aside from the deaths that occurred from smoke inhalation. One of the only ways my people were able to survive, after the destruction of over 40 canoes, was by the Beaver prow canoe that many of the men of the village had taken to an event. They came back and the community used this canoe to survive. The Navy stated that they had made sure women and children had evacuated before the bombardment, this was a lie as many of the men were out of town, and the only people who died in the actual bombing were children.

The significance of the U.S. Navy’s apology to my village is exemplified by the impact it had on those within my community. The event was planned by the house masters of Angoon. In Lingít culture there are two moieties, eagle and raven, and there are clans underneath those umbrella terms. Within the clans there are clan houses for them. For example, I am an eagle because I am Daakl’aweidí and our crest is the killer whale. I am from the village of Angoon, and my clan house is the Killer Whale Tooth House. There are clan houses in every village. I have stated that Shgendootan George, my mother, is the house master for Kéet Ooxú Hít– our clan house. The event being planned by members of the community in this way contributed to the traditional aspect of the apology. In 1982 there was a commemoration in Angoon for the bombardment and members of the city council fundraised and traveled to Washington D.C. to request an apology to be made by the U.S. Navy. This apology did not happen that year, there was two minutes of silence at the time they had planned for the Navy to apologize. At every commemoration since then that tradition has been kept alive.

The way the apology was structured was as a Ku.éex’ which is a traditional potlatch or party. We have these when people die, for clan house rededications, totem pole raisings, etc. The potlatch is a very important part of Lingít culture, having a lot to do with the center of our social system, the clans. These potlatches include singing, a mourning time frame, a happy time frame, multiple meals, money counting, and many other events which make these, especially in Angoon, often last over 10 hours. The amount of time, planning, and money that goes into these events make them special beyond their cultural significance. Members of The Navy danced to our songs when appropriate and respected our practices. Their genuine respect for our people and their admittance of wrongdoing held so much meaning for the community. There were sobs that echoed throughout the gym it was being held in, while house leaders recalled the events of the bombardment, and reminded us of the seven children who died during the bombing. The apology was long overdue, and yet very effective. My nine year old sister’s friend cried when they recounted the events of that day. The strength of the apology was felt by everyone in the gym. The personal history and authenticity of the apology made it a healing moment for my community.

References

“Text - S.J.Res.14 - 111th Congress (2009-2010): A joint resolution to acknowledge a long history of official depredations and ill-conceived policies by the Federal Government regarding Indian tribes and offer an apology to all Native Peoples on behalf of it.” Congress.gov, https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/14/text. Accessed 4 November 2024.

“Biden apologizes for forced Native American boarding school policy that caused abuse and deaths of children.” NBC News, 25 October 2024, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/joe-biden/biden-apologizes-forced-native-american-boarding-school-policy-caused-rcna177242. Accessed 8 November 2024.

George, Shgen. Personal interview. Nov. 20

George-Frank, Elizabeth. Personal interview. Nov. 20