NOAA-TM-AFSC-259 – Volume 11
Community Profiles for North Pacific Fisheries – Alaska: Angoonapps-afsc.fisheries.noaa.gov
Bombardment of Angoon -
Reactions to a Cultural Clash and Delayed Reforms
Resolution
Before the Apology
In the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, Tlingit leaders traveled to D.C. to advocate for the apology.
Daniel Johnson Jr, Sealaska Heritage Institute
Tlingit Culture Bearer Daniel Johnson. Personal Interview. May 2026.
Danielle Page-Pattison, Navy Tribal Liason at the time of the 2024 apology. Personal Interview. 2026.
In 1973, the Indian Claims Commission (ICC) gave $90,000 as compensation for the damages they caused.
Even though it was a step in the right direction, the Tlingit wanted an apology to be able to begin healing from the intergenerational damage caused by the Navy. A cash payment alone was not sufficient restitution.
Indian Claims Commission payments. narf.org
In 1982, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Manpower and Reserve Affairs, John Herrington, acknowledged to the Tlingit the Navy's involvement in the bombardment of Angoon. To the Tlingit, the apology was not accepted as sincere, because it was sent via letter, rather than in person.
John S. Herrington. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Manpower and Reserve Affair. reaganlibrary.gov
Rear Admiral Mark Sucato. navy.mil
"The destruction of Angoon should never have happened, and it was an unfortunate event in our history."
-John S. Herrington. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Manpower and Reserve Affairs. 1982
"previous apology attempts were not provided within Angoon’s cultural framework"
-Mark Sucato. Personal Interview. 2026
The Apology
"For the 2024 apology, our north star was that any apology must be crafted and given in person within a Tlingit cultural framework. I have no doubt that went a long way with the community" - Mark Sucato. Personal Interview. 2026
U.S. Milltary apology to Angoon for the devastating 1882 bombardment. Sealaska Heritage Institute. Oct 26 2024.
"I think it was significant that the U.S. military apologized as I am unaware that they have ever apologized to any tribes for the expropriation of their lands and the trauma they inflicted on tribes." - Rosita Kahanii Worl. Tlingit Elder. Personal Interview
Healing
Daniel Johnson greets Rear Admiral Mark Sucato. Anchorage Daily News
"None of us in this room will ever forget. We will take it to our graves, we will teach it to our children."
– Dan Johnson, Jr, responding to U.S. Navy’s apology for the 1882 bombardment ktoo.org
"Overwhelmingly, I feel humbled to be part of such an incredible event. I had not previously understood the power of intergenerational trauma in communities with verbal historical traditions. "
Mark Sucato - Personal Interview. 2026
Jamiann Hasselquist, Regional Healing Catalyst for Home Planet Fund’s partner, photo credit: Julie Ellison. homeplanetfund.org
"We have to talk about what happened if we are to heal from it."
Jamiann S’eiltin Hasselquist’s, homeplanetfund.org
The Navy and the Tlingit people are open to continued conversations needed for healing as a result of the harms to the Tlingit cause by the U.S. military's actions in 1882, but the Navy/U.S. government must continue to actively pursue training within its departments regarding Indigenous cultural beliefs, laws, and practices.
Danielle Page-Pattison, Navy Tribal Liason at the time of the 2024 apology. Personal Interview. 2026.
Lisa Murkowski. U.S. Senator. See Stories. 2024