Personal interview with Tlingit Elder Daniel Johnson Jr. May 2026
Tlingit generations. Sealaska Heritage. 2024
Bombardment of Angoon -
Reactions to a Cultural Clash and Delayed Reforms
Aftermath-Intergenerational Trauma
Transgenerational trauma is caused when a parent or older family member who has suffered a traumatic experience interacts with their children or younger family member. The parent/older peer's emotions and behavior are motivated by the trauma and will be passed down to younger kin.
Danielle Page-Pattison, Navy Tribal Liason at the time of the 2024 apology. Personal Interview. 2026
After the Bombardment
The residents of Angoon were left with little food, as their fishing boats and food supplies were destroyed. Due to the winter weather, many Tlingit people died, due to lack of food and shelter.
Man Canoe. Alaska Digital Archive
The Indigenous people of Angoon were now left in dire times and needed a way to get food quickly. The last canoe made trips back and forth to save many of the stranded Tlingit people from starvation.
Beaver canoe. Alaska Digital Archive. 1996
Darlene McKinley, center, weeps during. Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist’s speech on Oct. 26, 2024 in Angoon, Alaska. - Chilkat Valley News
Long after the bombardment attack, many Tlingit people of Angoon were stained by trauma from the bombardment. This trauma was passed down by subsequent generations, and is still evident even today.
Mary Jean Duncan. kootznoowoo.com
"It’s trauma from back then, too, that carries on. Traumatic for a lot of families that lived back then, but their families are alive today." — Mary Jean Duncan
Tlingit Potlatch. Alaska Digital Archive. 1904
In the decades post bombardment, the Tlingit interacted with the U.S. government, however tensions where still strong between the Angoon Clans and the American government. During this period, the U.S. government forcefully restricted Tlingit rights and culture. This clash of cultures exacerbated the intergenerational trauma from the 1882 bombardment.