Kake, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Kake is a town in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 710 at the 2000 census
. The name comes from the Tlingit
word (Northern Tlingit) or (Southern Tlingit), which is derived from “dawn, daylight” and “mouth”, i.e. “mouth of dawn” or “opening of daylight”.
in the Alexander Archipelago
in southeastern Alaska.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.8 km²), of which, 8.2 square miles (21.2 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (15.5 km²) of it is water. The total area is 42.37% water.
There were 246 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.49.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,643, and the median income for a family was $42,857. Males had a median income of $44,167 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,411. 14.6% of the population and 13.2% of families were below the poverty line. 23.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
The Tlingit of the Kake region gained a reputation among early European and American explorers of being strong and powerful. Some conflicts with early European and American explorers have been documented by historians. Some scholars believe the first European explorer to enter Tlingit lands was Sir Frances Drake, British explorer, who traveled to the area near present-day Kake in 1579.
In February 1869 a conflict erupted between the U.S. Army and the Tlingit in the Kake region, which is often referred to as the Kake War of 1869. The conflict began when innocent Tlingit from Kake, who were visiting Sitka, were killed by a U.S. Army soldier. The U.S. Army failed to acknowledge any wrong doing or offer compensation to the Tlingit from the Kake region, and as result, the Tlingit from Kake followed traditional Tlingit law and killed two non-Native trappers south of Sitka. In reprisal, the U.S. Army deployed the gunboat USS Saginaw from Sitka which attacked, shelled, and burned three Tlingit villages near present-day Kake. Although all three Tlingit villages had been evacuated by the Tlingit in order to avoid loss of life from the U.S. Army's approach and intent, some Tlingit were killed as result (total number killed is presently unknown). The U.S. Army's destruction of the Kake Tlingit villages has been attributed as an act of attempted genocide by some scholars on grounds that the U.S. Army destroyed the homes, food, and the canoes of the Tlingit for the purpose of leaving them to starve, suffer, and die in winter's cold. The Tlingit of the Kake area did not rebuild these three destroyed villages, but many relocated and settled around 1890 at the present site of Kake.
Kake is the site of a 128-foot totem pole, one of the world's largest, carved in 1967 for the Alaska Purchase
centennial.
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The name comes from the Tlingit
Tlingit language
The Tlingit language ) is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada. It is a branch of the Na-Dené language family. Tlingit is very endangered, with fewer than 140 native speakers still living, all of whom are bilingual or near-bilingual in English...
word (Northern Tlingit) or (Southern Tlingit), which is derived from “dawn, daylight” and “mouth”, i.e. “mouth of dawn” or “opening of daylight”.
Geography
Kake is located at 56°58′15"N 133°56′2"W (56.970841, -133.933751). Kake is on the northwest coast of Kupreanof IslandKupreanof Island
Kupreanof Island is an island in the Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. The island is long and wide with a total land area is , making it the 13th largest island in the United States and the 170th largest island in the world. The Lindenberg Peninsula, on the southeast side of the...
in the Alexander Archipelago
Alexander Archipelago
The Alexander Archipelago is a long archipelago, or group of islands, of North America off the southeastern coast of Alaska. It contains about 1,100 islands, which are the tops of the submerged coastal mountains that rise steeply from the Pacific Ocean. Deep channels and fjords separate the...
in southeastern Alaska.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 14.2 square miles (36.8 km²), of which, 8.2 square miles (21.2 km²) of it is land and 6 square miles (15.5 km²) of it is water. The total area is 42.37% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 710 people, 246 households, and 171 families residing in the town. The population density was 87.0 people per square mile (33.6/km²). There were 288 housing units at an average density of 35.3 per square mile (13.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 24.08% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 66.76% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 8.03% from two or more races. 1.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 246 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.49.
In the town the age distribution of the population shows 33.8% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 113.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $39,643, and the median income for a family was $42,857. Males had a median income of $44,167 versus $20,625 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $17,411. 14.6% of the population and 13.2% of families were below the poverty line. 23.7% of those under the age of 18 and 4.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
History
The region of Kake has been inhabited by the Tlingit Indian people for thousands of years.The Tlingit of the Kake region gained a reputation among early European and American explorers of being strong and powerful. Some conflicts with early European and American explorers have been documented by historians. Some scholars believe the first European explorer to enter Tlingit lands was Sir Frances Drake, British explorer, who traveled to the area near present-day Kake in 1579.
In February 1869 a conflict erupted between the U.S. Army and the Tlingit in the Kake region, which is often referred to as the Kake War of 1869. The conflict began when innocent Tlingit from Kake, who were visiting Sitka, were killed by a U.S. Army soldier. The U.S. Army failed to acknowledge any wrong doing or offer compensation to the Tlingit from the Kake region, and as result, the Tlingit from Kake followed traditional Tlingit law and killed two non-Native trappers south of Sitka. In reprisal, the U.S. Army deployed the gunboat USS Saginaw from Sitka which attacked, shelled, and burned three Tlingit villages near present-day Kake. Although all three Tlingit villages had been evacuated by the Tlingit in order to avoid loss of life from the U.S. Army's approach and intent, some Tlingit were killed as result (total number killed is presently unknown). The U.S. Army's destruction of the Kake Tlingit villages has been attributed as an act of attempted genocide by some scholars on grounds that the U.S. Army destroyed the homes, food, and the canoes of the Tlingit for the purpose of leaving them to starve, suffer, and die in winter's cold. The Tlingit of the Kake area did not rebuild these three destroyed villages, but many relocated and settled around 1890 at the present site of Kake.
Kake is the site of a 128-foot totem pole, one of the world's largest, carved in 1967 for the Alaska Purchase
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
centennial.