Page 331 - Vacation Country Travel Guide

Caretakers of Ketchikan

There is a story told by Bear Clan of the history of indigenous people. pole, recount legends passed down from
Tlingit nation that says 300 years ago when Clan House Tours is a Haida and Tlingit generations, as well as show visitors the variety
people of the tribe climbed Deer Mountain and family-owned & operated tour company in of edible and medicinal plants in the Tongass
looked down at the creek, they saw an eagle Ketchikan. Their tours stand out because Rainforest. By acknowledging the land and the
with outstretched wings sitting on a rock at their guides, who are Alaska natives, actively indigenous people it belongs to, they are able
the head of the waters. They named the area engage in cultural traditions such as fishing to communicate the importance of protecting
Keech Ka Xa haan, meaning “thundering wings and harvesting edible and medicinal plants. the environment in a way that will leave visitors
of an eagle.” Today, the area is now called Their upbringing in the traditional lifestyle with a renewed appreciation for mother nature
Ketchikan. When visitors approach downtown of Southeast Alaska provides visitors with a and for the caretakers of the extraordinary
Ketchikan through their 274 foot tunnel, they unique perspective on the land and way of life ecosystem of Ketchikan.
encounter a massive carved totem eagle by that dates back hundreds of years.
Tlingit master carver and Ketchikan native Each tour group with Clan House Tours To book a tour please visit:
Nathan Jackson. With enormous outstretched is small and intimate, creating a friendship clanhousetours.com
wings, the eagle stands nobly and proudly as between the guides and their guests. Their To order medicinal medicine made from
a sentry into this port city, reminding all that passionate and knowledgeable guides share plants from the Tongass Rainforest, please
Ketchikan is an area steeped in the culture and stories and meanings behind each totem visit: hazyislandbotanicals.com

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