Chapter 13, Pt 2: "Ketcheeteneh Birch and Johnny Gakona" - 1916 |
click on picture for larger image: some of these images appear in the book for this chapter. |
The young man watched the elite party walk from the depot platform, completely enthralled by the odd scene of so many well-dressed people on the dusty streets of Chitina. He already knew that the Stephen Birch was expected, but Johnny had never laid eyes on him. Something about the sense of power which surrounded the Great Man fascinated him.The older Indian looked upon the spectacle while revealing nothing in his expressionless face. When they were both satisfied that they had seen enough, they nodded at each other and stepped back inside the billiards hall. The no-name billiards hall was a common meeting ground used mainly by the local Indians. Many other places in Chitina remained off-limits to Indians and half-breeds. For this reason alone the older Indian seldom entered town. He chose not to be a part of a system he considered unjust and highly offensive.
But the no-name billiards hall had an unusually strong appeal because of its function as a familiar gathering place for all the Indians, attracting the elders, such as Nicolai, Eskilida and Doc Billum, who would spend many hours gambling small sums in the card room in the rear of the building. The billiards hall in front primarily served as a meeting-place for the younger Natives. Smitty was a very accommodating proprietor. A considerable amount of trade occurred at his place of business, providing the old man and his much-younger wife Rita a comfortable living for many years. “It is Birch himself, Tsuuye He has brought his new bride to visit his copper mines near our sheep-hunting country.” The older man held a grudging admiration for Stephen Birch. He had met Birch in the early days when the Great Man had just acquired the Bonanza claims, and was in the process of attempting to prove the value of the prospect as a lode mine worthy of the serious investment of a railroad from Valdez to Bonanza. Only later was the port location changed to Katalla and then, finally, Cordova. Birch homesteaded the Chitina town site long before the railroad arrived because he recognized its value as a key transshipment point. He made a point of visiting the chief at Taral, just as Lt. Henry Allen had done years before because he knew that no real peace was possible without the assenting nod of the chief. Birch took great care to show respect for the Nicolai. Whatever might have been the ultimate motivations of Birch, he understood the extreme importance of granting the chief proper recognition of his status. Nicolai looked upon the railroad in the same way he viewed Birch. Birch could be either a friendly or an evil power. His supremacy over the area was subtle, but his far-reaching power was of a magnitude which could easily threaten what remained of the way of life of Nicolai’s people. The railroad was the most prominent symbol of the Great Man’s power. The changes caused by the enormously rich copper mine and its railroad forced the chief to re-examine the core of his traditional spiritual beliefs. He could no longer look at his Creator in the same comfortable way, for the chief’s very basic assumptions had been severely challenged by these changes brought on by Birch and his railroad. Nicolai was forced to seek answers deep within himself. Before the coming of the white man, the elders had a traditional approach to every situation.  Hotel Chitina, 1910-1920 version --Lisa Yoshimoto Hotel Chitina , 1920-1940 version after additions --Candy Waugaman  Those days were over. No one was prepared to deal with the world of the white man. The tyone found himself standing almost alone in trying to find a way to fit his people into the new world which had arrived with the alarming speed of less than two decades. Some had adapted well to the change. Men like Tom Bell or Doc Billum had learned to prosper with the new opportunities while maintaining their Native ways. Regrettably, most the others failed to adjust. These were the greatest victims of the scourge of alcoholism, the disease which came from despair and a sense of unworthiness. It was typical of Nicolai to continually look for opportunities in the midst of change. When the right moment came, he had two conditions ready for Birch when the Great Man finally came to him for help to bring to an end a potentially disastrous situation for the railroad in its relations with the Indians. The first was that all the Indians living along the railway should be able to ride the train within their traditional hunting and fishing grounds without charge. The rails paralleled two traditional routes which had once taken days to traverse. With the use of the train, any of those same places could be reached in hours at most. More important, Nicolai wanted the railroad to hire his people for the seasonal maintenance work near Chitina. The railroad brought with it a cash economy. Railroad employment allowed the Indian men to work for cash for a few months every year. The arrangement worked out well for both parties. Few Native men were inclined to work year-around, but many desired seasonal employment as long as it did not interfere with their hunting, trapping, fishing and other traditional activities. The spring maintenance and rebuilding schedule required considerable manpower which could readily be found within the ranks of the Native population. The Native men of Chitina were hard-working and reliable, if only for those few months of the year. That was all which was required.
Nicolai laid the matter very plainly and forcefully before the Great Man. If he wanted to be assured the continued ability to operate in peace in the Copper and Chitina River valleys, especially in light of the clumsy manner in which the railroad had handled Indian relations by allowing the desecration of the grave sites at Eskilida camp, he had better concede to Nicolai’s requests. Birch weighed the alternatives and quietly acceded to the demands. The chief got his way. The CRNW and the Indians had become life-long partners. Only a very few were aware that these things were made possible because Nicolai and Birch worked together on the arrangements. The traditional chief, much like Birch, preferred to remain in the background rather than allow people to comprehend the true power which the chief silently and expertly commanded. Nicolai had long given up his role as formal leader of our people. Never again would another Ahtna tyone emerge. Chief Goodlataw took over the duties of Nicolai at Chittyna so effortlessly that Nicolai felt it was safe for him to quietly vanish into the background. Yet Stephen Birch found that only Nicolai had the power to help him when those early problems between the railroad company and the Natives surfaced. Doc Billum took the role of chief at Tonsina. Billum was an Indian capitalist of the first magnitude who made a small fortune due to his Copper River ferrying service and his ability to trade goods and services the white man wanted in return for anything from cash to whiskey to favors. Like Nicolai, Doc Billum realized very early that with the coming of the white man, new opportunities abounded for the clever Native bargainer. It was the rare man, Native or white, who was able to gain the upper hand on Doc Billum, who soon became the most practiced of any Indian in the art of trade. Billum’s most notorious deal became known as the Billum lode fiasco. He sold rights he never had to a prospect that amounted to nothing--much like the Nicolai Prospect--for a sizable amount of tobacco, rifles, whiskey and cash. Recognizing the lure of old Indian legends made up mainly by white men, Billum created his own version of the more famous Nicolai Prospect, by inventing another “old Indian legend” about an exposed copper vein which was said to be “richer than the Nicolai lode,” and which could be found well up the Kotsina River in a place known only to Doc Billum.  Main Street, Chitina, looking south --F.C. Mears #84-75-402, UAF AK & Polar Regions Dept. He sold the entire bill of goods to a group of prospectors who thought they were tricking Billum into giving away a fortune in copper mining claims. A copper showing did indeed exist, but it was nothing more than copper stain on the rocks, typical of many of the outcroppings in the area. Billum had no true claim to that worthless piece of ground at all. He had trapped the area in his youth when he stumbled upon it. Doc’s knowledge paid off. The greedy prospectors were too embarrassed to admit that they had been fooled by a “siwash” Indian whom they thought they themselves had swindled. They never admitted that the claim was worthless and never demanded their money and goods back from Doc Billum. Johnny took a shot on the billiards table. “Will I be able to meet him?” “He will be here. Be patient. He will come alone.” The younger man beat his grandfather handily at the game. Nicolai decided it was time to return to the card game in the back room where he almost always won. About that time Tom Bell entered. He was finally off for the day now that the train arrived which included the diner car where Tom worked. Tonight he would be home, for his wife lived in Chittyna village. Tom was ready. The billiards game was on. “Ready to shoot a good player, Johnny?” “Ready to lose, Tom? One dollar and you’re on.” Tom threw a silver coin on the table. “You’re on, foolish one.” “We’ll see who’s the fool. How was Cordova, Tom?” “Miserable, as usual. Too misty and cool even in the best Cordova weather.” Tom took a shot to break the rack of balls. None fell into the pockets. “It’s open, Johnny.” “So I see, Tom. What’s it like, serving those elite big-whigs?” Johnny looked over the table of scattered balls carefully until he determined a path of attack. He began placing a series of shots until he missed on the fifth ball. He had been careful to leave Tom no openings. “Good run, Johnny. The elites? They’re just like anyone else, except they have more money and think they own the world. Birch even gave a toast to his success in conquering this land. What nonsense. He has a tough lesson coming. “But that’s white man’s foolishness. I just give them what they ask, stay out of their way, and say nothing. Even played cards with Mrs. Birch. She’s good at poker, but she’s mean and underhanded. It shows in her card-playing. I beat her anyway.” Tom realized that Johnny had blocked his path at all points. He tried a desperate maneuver on the table, but missed, failing to drop even one ball. In the process, he gave Johnny the opening the young man had counted on. “So that was her with the Great Man?” ` “Mr. Birch you mean? That’s his wedding party out there. Did you see the big new train? Special for him. Special car, new engine.” “I heard the different whistle and saw it pull in. Quite a sight. Impressive.” Johnny took one shot and then another. He began to clean the balls off the table. Tom could see he was going to lose his dollar. This kid was an expert at his chosen game. That was clear. Chitina Depot -- F.C. Mears, 84-80-54N, UAF AK & Polar Regions Depot
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