Last updated: October 10, 2024
Place
Gathéeni Panel
NPS Photo/ Cinnamon Dockham
Quick Facts
Amenities
2 listed
Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Information - Ranger/Staff Member Present
The panel over the theater entrance represents Gathéeni (Bartlett Cove) the traditional home of the Chookaneidí clan. The panel tells the story of Glacier Bay. The central figure, a large, stylized bear signifies an iceberg, while the ears represent sliding ice. The checkerboard pattern in the lower corners denotes the bay.
The story tells of a young girl, Kaasteen, who was separated from others at the onset of puberty and confined to the back of her house, where she could see the glacier. While in confinement, lonely and bored, she looked out and called the glacier to her, throwing it dried fish bones and calling it like a dog. The ice began growing and moving faster as if running to the girl. The people ran from the village as the ice grew closer. Kaasteen stayed behind to appease the glacier’s spirit. The glacier then overtook the house and slid- the ice, the house and Kaasteen, into the sea.
This panel may seem out of place since it isn’t as story about Sitka, however the Native account of the Little Ice Age glacial advance is renowned amongst Tlingit nations. This story is typically referred to as “The Glacier Bay Story” and not only documents the geological history of Glacier Bay, but also reminds us of the power of Tlingit women.
When the Chookaneidí speak about Kaasteen today it is with a mixture of sorrow, pride, and reverence. She symbolizes the power of a woman to move glaciers and ice, the resilience of the clans who have adapted to a changing world over and over again, and the sacrifice that current generations continue to make on behalf of those to come.
This panel was carved in 1947 by Kiks.ádi Peter Neilsen (Aakashook), which was purchased by George Fedoroff, a local art teacher at nearby Mt. Edgecumbe boarding school, and then loaned to the park by the Fedoroff family.