The Auke are an

Alaskan Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numb ...

people, whose autonym ''Aakʼw Ḵwáan'' means "Small Lake People."Map of Auke territory and list of clans
They are a subgroup of the

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

. The Auke lived along the northwestern coast of North America, in the area that is now the

Alexander Archipelago The Alexander Archipelago (russian: Архипелаг Александра) is a long archipelago (group of islands) in North America lying off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, the tops of submerged coastal m ...

and adjoining mainland of the Alaska Panhandle around

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the s ...

. The Auke had a village on Auke Bay just east of Point Louisa, about 13 miles northwest of

. There were seasonal festivals associated with the harvest of herring at spawning season. In 1880, after

Joe Juneau Joe or JOE may refer to: Arts Film and television * ''Joe'' (1970 film), starring Peter Boyle * ''Joe'' (2013 film), starring Nicolas Cage * ''Joe'' (TV series), a British TV series airing from 1966 to 1971 * ''Joe'', a 2002 Canadian animated ...

and

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

were led to

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in the Silver Bow Basin, U.S. naval officers encouraged the Auke to move from the area to avoid conflict with miners and prospectors. The census of Alaska at the time listed the Auke population as 640, of whom 300 were on

Admiralty Island Admiralty Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in Southeast Alaska, at . It is long and wide with an area of , making it the seventh-largest island in the United States and the 132nd largest island in the world. It is one of the ...

, 50 on Douglas Island, and 290 on

Stephens Passage Stephens Passage is a channel in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It runs between Admiralty Island to the west and the Alaska mainland and Douglas Island to the east, and is about 170 km (105 ...

, the latter presumably including those at the Point Louisa village. The Auke people continued to return to what they called Indian Point, for the annual harvest of herring at spawning time. They have considered this a sacred place, both because of their traditional gathering for subsistence and their historic village and its burying ground. These local peoples have resisted European-American development of Indian Point, which is located past the Juneau Ferry Terminal and before the Auke Recreation Area operated by the U.S. Forest Service. Federal agencies including the National Park Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had proposals to build on the site. The Tlingit consider it sacred territory, both because of the burying ground and its place in their traditions of gathering sustenance. The city and state supported recognition of the 78-acre site, which in August 2016 was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. "It is the first traditional cultural property in Southeast Alaska to be placed on the register."Lisa Phu, "Feds designate Juneau's Indian Point as sacred, worthy of protection"
''Juneau Empire,'' 16 August 2016; accessed 21 August 2016

Clans and houses

The Auke were formed around clans, based on kinship systems. These were traditionally divided into houses. Extended family groups used to live together in large longhouses.

Divisions and houses of the Raven Moiety or Clan

*Lʼeeneidí (Gift Blanket People) **G̱aatáa Hít (Trap House) **Téelʼ Hít (Dog Salmon House) **Yax̱te Hít (Big Dipper House) *Lʼuknax̱.ádi (Coho Salmon People) **Lʼook Hít (Coho Salmon House) *G̱aanax̱.ádi (People of ''G̱aanax̱'') **G̱aanax̱aa Hít (G̱aanax̱ Group House) **Yéil Hít (Raven House)

Divisions and houses of the Wolf/Eagle Clan

*Wooshkeetaan **G̱unakadeit Hít (Sea Monster House) **Hít Tlein (Big House) **Noow Hít (Fort House) **Tóosʼ Hít (Shark House) **Xeitl Hít (Thunder/Thunderbird House) **Xóots Hít (Brown Bear House)

References

{{authority control Alaska Native ethnic groups Tlingit Native American tribes in Alaska