Fascinating Sitka, Alaska - 1st Cruise Stop

Sitka is the largest city in the US as measured by area. It is 2864 square miles in size, yet has a population of only 8365.
Well before Alaska became a part of the US, the local Tlingit Indians dominated the Pacific Northwest which overlapped the US and Canada.
When the Russians moved into this area, several battles were fought. Sometimes the Tlingits would win and other times the Russians were victorious.

Eventually, the Russians took control of Sitka.

A Little About The Tlingits

There are three main tribes the Raven, Wolf, and Eagle. Each tribe is comprised of several clans. The Tlingits are very much into the arts, music, and dance. They weave colorful garments and carve panels and totem poles.

Carved Panel

Garments With Embroided Designs

Totem Poles

The Traditional Tlingit Family House

Several Tlingit clans put on a show for us inside a traditional Tlingit community home.
The main room is shown below where families slept on the steps surrounding a warm fire. Tlingit families today are absorbed into the local community and live in regular homes.

Tlingit Family Performing Group

I created a video of a 28-minute show and will upload it to my YouTube Channel when I get back home. I will add a link to this post.

Notice the boy in the yellow hat at the left? He had a physical disability and needed a guide dog. The Tlingits invited him onto the stage for the picture taking session at the end.

Raptor Center

They have a bird hospital in Sitka that specializes in curing raptors as well as other birds and rehabilitating them into the wild where possible.
Some eagles and owls sustained damage to their wings so that they will never fly again. These birds are cared for in this center till they die naturally.
I took a few pictures of bald eagles, golden eagles, and owls that were under care.

This poor owl was discovered in Illinois and was unable to fly because of a broken wing. It was sent to the Raptor Center in Sitka for care. The vets tried to repair the wing but found out it was broken in too many areas.

They did their best to repair the wing but the owl still couldn't fly. It also had a damaged eye. It will live in the Raptor Center until the end of its life. Isn't this a beautiful-looking owl?

Alaska - An Education

I learned so much more about this amazing State that I didn't know before. The part of Alaska we visited was in the Pan Handle where the temperatures are mild compared to the land mass above where Anchorage and Fairbanks are located.

All of Alaska share one characteristic. In summer they have over 20 hours of daylight and in winter, this drops to 4 hours and less the closer you get to the Arctic Circle.

Everything is expensive because products have to be shipped by sea. In most of the cities we visited, that day happened to be Tuesday. The moral of this story is, don't go grocery shopping on Monday or even the weekend.

The price of almost everything costs more in Alaska. The main reason is stuff needs to be shipped in by boat. Hence, the cost of living is much higher. More so in some cities compared to others. The range is from 24% to 38% higher than the lower 48.

If you are a person who loves the outdoors, mountains, wildlife, hunting, and fishing and doesn't mind the cold and dark winters,

You will be learning more about Alaska as I write future posts.

Cheers.

Edwin
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