Chapter 6, Pt 1: "Nicolai's Anger" 
from "Legacy of the Chief"

 

 

The Great Tyone, Skolai Nicolai  --AMHA

 

The tyone was slow to anger. He had been building up to this for some time. Nicolai was visibly angry and made no attempt to hide his emotions. Never had he seen such a disappointing salmon run. The women and children kept their distance from him. His temper was legendary. It seemed best to leave Nicolai alone when he was in this sullen mood which could quickly flash into a fearsome display of rage.

The extensive fish-trapping operations in the Copper River delta area on the far side of the Chugach Range, encouraged by the presence of large-scale cannery operations at Orca Inlet, were taking their toll.
Nicolai was aware of the canneries, but did not realize until much later that the fish traps would have a drastic effect on the Copper River salmon runs.

Salmon was always dependable when game was scare. This year the game seemed to have vanished. A huge number of whites coming down the Klaw’tee na had overwhelmed the small number of Ahtnas in Chief
Stickwan’s territory. The white prospectors had taken their rifles into the wilderness along both banks of the Copper River and decimated the game.

 

 

The extensive fish-trapping operations in the Copper River delta area on the south side of the Chugach Range, encouraged by the presence of large-scale cannery operations at Orca Inlet, were taking their toll.  Nicolai was aware of the canneries, but did not realize until much later that the fish traps would have a drastic effect on the Copper River salmon runs.

A Native girl using a spruce root net to dip net on the Copper River --AMHA, Richard M. Jones, B82.51.36

The first indications that things were changing were the incessant smoke-filled skies caused by a series of forest fires. The smoke emanated from area centering on the lake at the base of Klutina Glacier. The word had spread quickly that large numbers of trees had been cut by an ongoing invasion of prospectors in the upper western reaches of the valley. Forest fires were becoming commonplace, causing the first disruptions to the local game. Nicolai was always wary of smoke-filled skies. He knew all too well the prophetic raven story which warned of times which would be marked by events such as this.

It had not taken long before some of these prospectors began extending beyond Stickwan’s area into the lower valley which was controlled by Nicolai. These men seemed to be searching for everything, but gold was on the top of the list. Persistent rumors that gold had been found up the Nizina valley near the traditional home of Nicolai brought the first
wave of these men into the Chitina River area. The newcomers were welcomed for the items they offered to trade for salmon, furs and even game meat, but it soon Nicolai’s people were overwhelmed by the huge numbers of whites.

White men’s clothing, guns, tobacco, tea, and cooking implements became common. But so did other things, such as smallpox, tuberculosis, and whiskey.

Nicolai watched all this activity from the relative safety and isolation of Taral. He had warned his people at every opportunity to stay away from the whiskey. Perhaps the diseases could not be avoided, but the effects of the whiskey could.

 

Summer had moved into fall. Winter was on the way. Not enough salmon had been caught for the tyone to sustain his people over the coming winter. He began dispatching his hunting parties into the distant mountains in a futile search for more game. The hunting parties came back with very little except the news that prospecting camps had sprung up everywhere in the Nizina valley. The tyone watched his hunting area diminish drastically as the whites moved in.

Nicolai would have gone out to head the hunting parties himself, except that the early beginnings of the influx of whites into his area was becoming a matter of great concern to him. He felt that he should not leave his women and children alone at a time when so many prospectors were pouring into the country.

The hunting parties were not successful. Lately they had not even been returning to Taral or Tonslahti. The chief came to believe that some other force he could not quite see was at work. Perhaps is was the c’uniis which had entered with the whites, or even Yaabel himself. The men who returned remained silent. They avoided work. Instead they seemed
anxious to head upriver into the white man’s new settlement areas, especially the trading post at the Lower Tonsina.

 

 

Doc Billum's home at Lower Tonsina.  --Candy Waugaman Collection

 

 

 

Taral Creek had created a small promontory as it flowed into the Copper River which allowed a commanding view of the river in both directions. It was low-lying, sandy and grassy. The brush along the main shore was thick enough to offer some protection from the winds which swept up the valley, but Nicolai sat beyond the protection of the brush on a drift log beached at the edge of the promontory. He had built a fire earlier to keep the chill off. It had finally turned to hot coals, which he idly stirred. He reached over to grab another log to throw on the fire. The constant light breeze helped keep the fire alive. Even though the breeze was uncomfortable, the fire helped alleviate the sting of the cold winds which blew glacier dust and sand in his face.

He peered in the direction of Woods Canyon, observing Eskilida’s fish camp on the west bank. Eskilida’s grandsons had cleared the area off, leaving a good view of two caches on poles and three small cabins by a large fire pit. He had seen no activity either there or at the camp farther down the river in days. Nicolai could hear nothing except the constant sound of the Copper River. He detected no shouting, no drum beats, nothing.

 

 

Looking down river toward Woods Canyon, Copper River, CRNW Railway surveyed right-of-way on the right, Taral on the left (east bank).

Julie Sweeney Collection, 97-139-667, UAF Archives

 

 

The most distant camp could only be seen late at night when the fire burned in the pit. He had seen no fires in that direction since early in the season. Because most of the Indians who once lived on the east side had now moved to the west bank, having became attracted to whatever the white man had to offer, these camps were usually busy with activity. Not now. All the people seemed to have vanished along with the game Nicolai sought.

Nicolai turned from the river to look up the bank toward the small row of cabins which was his domain. He was the only adult male at Taral. The rest were women and children,including those of his son Goodlataw, who was also absent. Some of men were off in a hunt up the Hanagita River, but most had crossed the Copper River in the last few months and had not returned. Nicolai reluctantly concluded that it was time he saw for himself what was happening in the much larger world which existed somewhere beyond his limited range of vision across the Copper River.

Nicolai had no boats left at Taral, but his old ally Doc Billum would be coming by soon with one of his boats on Billum’s routine run to check on the many fish camps. Nicolai sat out on the wind-swept promontory so he could spot the boat early and signal it in case the Doc failed to head in his direction.

Doc Billum was tall and imposing, towering well above Nicolai. Most men deeply respected and even feared the Doc, but Billum had long since recognized that Nicolai, who was a shorter and somewhat younger man, was more formidable, even though not ordinarily threatening by nature. The two had developed a respect and liking for each other that would last a lifetime, though they rarely had an opportunity to visit each other until the later years when most everyone would move to the more convenient location of Chittyna village.

 

Continue with

Nicolai's Anger (pt 2)