Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall by Pauline Duncan

Martin Luther King by Howard Sochurek/Life	Elizabeth Peratrovich From Collection: Early Prints of Alaska Photo No. PCA 01-3294 Alaska State Library

Martin Luther King, Jr. and Elizabeth Peratrovich were both civil rights leaders. Elizabeth was 18 years old when Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. Alaska Natives formed the Alaska Native Brotherhood in 1912 to fight for equal rights. Roy Peratrovich was the president of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Elizabeth was president of the Alaska Native Sisterhood, when they led the efforts to make discrimination of Alaska Natives illegal in the State of Alaska.

 

Map of Alaska From Graphic Art Collection of Creative Connections

From Collection: early Prints of Alaska Photo No. PCA 01-496 Alaska State Library

Elizabeth Peratrovich was born on July 4, 1911, in Petersburg, Alaska. She was raised by her adopted parents, Andrew and Mary Wanamaker. The Wanamakers were Presbyterian Church leaders living in Angoon, Alaska. Elizabeth attended schools throughout Southeast Alaska and went on to Western Washington College of Education in Bellingham,Washington. She married Roy Peratrovich and they had three children, Roy Jr., Loretta and Frank.

Photo by Vincent Soboleff, photographer from Alaska State Library Photo No. PCA 1-246

Photo from Merrill Collection Sheldon Jackson College Stratton Library

When the United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, they promised that Native Alaskans would have equal citizenship. It did not happen. Natives were treated poorly. Natives were not allowed to go into all stores, restaurants, hotels or schools. Elizabeth Peratrovich began working on passage of a law that would make discrimination against Natives illegal in Alaska.

Roy and Elizabeth moved to Juneau, and were excited about buying a new home. They were told they couldn't buy the house they wanted because they were Native. They were very sad and surprised to hear they could not live in some neighborhoods. In Juneau they saw signs that said "No Natives" on restaurants and hotels.

Photo from Winter and Pond Collection #PCA 87-1050 Alaska State Library

In Sitka, Native children went to separate churches, sat in separate sections in the movie theater and weren't allowed to attend public schools with non-Native children.

In February 1945, the Alaska Senate was preparing to vote on the Anti-Discrimination Act, which would outlaw discrimination against Alaska Natives. Senator Frank Whaley said, "I personally would prefer not to have to sit next to these Natives in a theatre. Why, they smell bad." Elizabeth Peratrovich spoke to the Senators about the discrimination she and her family had faced in Juneau. The Anti-Discrimination Act was passed 11 to 5.

Alaska Native children are able to attend the same schools as other children and eat in the same restaurants, because leaders like Elizabeth Peratrovich fought for their rights. In 1988, the Alaska Legislature established February 16 as "Elizabeth Peratrovich Day", which is the anniversary of the signing of the Anti-Discrimination Act.

Sent by Elizabeth and Roy Peratrovich, to Ernest Gruening, the Governor of Alaska in 1911. Printed with permission from "A Recollection of Civil Rights Elizabeth Peratrovich" published by Central Council of Tlingit and Haifa Indian Tribes of Alaska, Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand Camp and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp and Sealaska. Any other use or reproductions of this book is forbidden without consent.

Petition from the Tlingit Orthodox Chiefs to the U.S. President, 1867. Printed with permission from "A Recollection of Civil Rights Elizabeth Peratrovich" published by Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Alaska Native Brotherhood Grand Camp and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp and Sealaska. Any other use or reproductions of this book is forbidden without consent.

Back then....The unofficial criteria for American citizenship was Christianity as a religion a fluency in the English language. The bilingual, Russian Orthodox grass-root Native inhabitants of Alaska did not qualify nor were they compelled to join a Protestant denomination that forbade the use of Tlingit language and traditional Tlingit customs. Natives were forced to petition the highest in U.S. Authority and bring suit in federal court. However, many businesses and schools were segregated and the powers that be were not ready to change this.

A classic example in 1905 involved an Aleut girl living in Sitka who wanted to attend the white public school because of their music program. Her father was an American named Jones and hers was a bilingual Christian family. She asked the judge to declare her an American citizen making her eligible to attend the Anglo-American school. The judge denied this privilege because she was not "sufficiently" civilized. She went to a fish camp every summer with her Aleut grandmother to put up food. This was considered uncivilized.

This was, however, inconsistent with Judge James Wicker sham's 1904 decision in the case of Minook, a Native at Fairbanks, that Minook was a U.S. citizen by virtue of the third article of the treaty with Russia, either as one of those inhabitants who accepted the benefits of the proffered naturalization, or as a member of an uncivilized Native tribe who has voluntarily taken up his residence separate from any tribe of Indians and has adopted the habits of civilized life.

Though this raised the hopes of Native Alaskans, whites in general continued to disapprove of natives and disregard their rights.

One Indian, claiming fishing rights in a certain small bay which all other Indians had recognized as belonging to him as it did his forefathers, was rudely told by the white fishermen that the whites now owned all the fishing privileges, and that he was not a citizen and could no longer fish there. Flagrant abuses of Native interests by unprincipled whites occurred all too frequently.

Printed with permission from "A Recollection of Civil Rights Elizabeth Peratrovich" published by Central Council of Tiingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, Aiaska Native Brotherhood Grand Camp and Alaska Native Sisterhood Grand Camp and Sealaska. Any other use or reproductions of this book is forbidden without consent.

Photo from Merrill Collection Sheldon Jackson College Stratton Library	Photo from Vincent Soboloff Collection PCA 1-23 Alaska State Library
Pauline Duncan's Class

Important Dates

 

1802 Tlingits battle Russians in Sitka

1867 Alaska purchased from Russia

1911 Elizabeth was born July 4, in Petersburg, Alaska

1912 Alaska became a territory and Alaska Native Brotherhood formed

1915 Alaska Native Sisterhood formed

1924 U.S. Congress granted American Citizenship to all Native Americans,

1927 Benny Benson, Alaskan Native, creates Alaska flag

1931 Elizabeth married Roy Peratrovich

1940 Elizabeth moved to Juneau and encountered discrimination against Natives.

1943 Elizabeth worked for passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act, it was considered by the Legislature and defeated.

1945 Elizabeth's testimony in the Senate was important to passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act. The Senate passed the bill 11 to 5 on February 8, 1945

1958 Alaskans approved Statehood.

1958 Elizabeth died on December 1, 1958

1988 Alaska Legislative established February 16, as Elizabeth Peratrovich Day.

 

  Meet Elizabeth Peratrovich

All About Elizabeth

All About Me

Elizabeth was born ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ month day year Elizabeth went to school at ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ school name town ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ school name town ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ school name town

You were born ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ month day year You go to school at ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ school name town ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ school name town ____________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________ school name town

Elizabeth did not like the laws. She decided to change them. How did she bring change?

Elizabeth was very brave to work to change what?

Elizabeth went before the legislature to do what?

Children of The Tidelands
Work Sheets
and Activity Pages

 

 

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Bet you didn't know...

 

Alaska sold to the U.S. for 7,200,000 in gold! Willow Ptarmigan.	Alaska is 585, 400sq.miles in size. Alaska state bird is the Willow Ptarmigan.

• Alaska state tree is the Sitka Spruce.

• Alaska state flower is the foreget-me-not.

• Alaska state fish is the King Salmon.

• Alaska has 260 Federally recognized tribes.

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 Pledge Allegiance To The Flag

I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
And to the Republic for which it stands.
One nation under God,
Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

 

A Picture of Me!

Name____________________________________ Date__________________

The capital city is ______________________________

Draw and color the state bird. Draw and color the state flower.

Geography Activity Page

 

What is the 49th state?____________________________

Locate your community on the map. Put a star by it.

What is it near?__________________is near_____________.

Name 2 rivers near your community.___________and ____________.

Name 2 oceans that border Alaska.________________ and _____________.

How many cultures lived in your community yesterday?________List them.

How many cultures live in your community today?________List them.

Population yesterday? Population today?

Was the population greater yesterday or today?________________

Rewrite your poem and draw a picture to go with it.

Movement Activity page:Draw a pictures in each box for your questions.

What cultural and physical activities are offered in your communities

How do you get around in your community?

What animals travel to your community?

How do you get your food, furniture, cars, boats, and mail?

 Movement Activity Page continued

What type of transportation is offered in your community?

What kind of food can you gather locally?

List four fin activities you can do in your community

Occupations in my community;

My community of __________now has; (How many? Draw one)

Cultural Standards

Cultural Standards for students E-8-
8) Identify and appreciate who they are and their place in the world.

Cultural Standards for Educators A-6
6) Continually involve them in learning about the local culture.

Cultural Standards for Curriculum C-5
5) Treats local cultural knowledge as a means to acquire the conventional curriculum content as outlined in state standards, as well as an end in itself.

Cultural Standards for Communities E-2
2) Encourages teachers to make use of facilities and expertise in the community to demonstrate that education is a community-wide process involving everyone as teachers.

Alaska State Standards

Geography
State Standards for students A-1 thru 3
1) Use maps and globes to locate places and regions;
2) Make maps, globes and graphs;
3) Understand how and why maps are changing documents.

State Standards for students B-1 thru 3
1) Know that places have distinctive geographic characteristics;
2) Analyze how places are formed, identified, named, and characterized;
3) Relate how people create similarities and differences among places.

State Standards for students D-1
1) Know that the need for people to exchange goods, services, and ideas creates population centers cultural interaction, and transportation and communication links.

State Standards for students F-I thru 6
1) Analyze and evaluate the impact of physical and human geographical factors on major historical events;
2) Compare, contrast, and predict how places and regions change with time
3) Analyze resource management practices to assess their impact on future environmental quality;
4) Interpret demographic trends to project future changes and impacts on human environmental systems;
5) Examine the impacts of global changes on human activity; and
6) Utilize geographic knowledge and skills to support interdisciplinary learning and build competencies required of citizens.

Government and Citizenship
State Standards for students C-4
4) Understand the importance of the historical and current roles of Alaska Native communities.

State Standards for students C-6
6) Understand the importance of the multicultural nature of the state.

State Standards for students G-5
5) Understand how jobs are created and their role in the economy.

History
State standards for students A-6
6) Know that cultural elements, including language, literature, the arts, customs, and belief systems, reflect the ideas and attitudes of a specific time and know how the cultural elements influence human interaction.

State Standards for students B-1 thru B-5
A student who meets the content standard should:

1) Comprehend the forces of change and continuity that shape human history through the following persistent organizing themes:

a. the development of culture, the emergence of civilizations, and the accomplishments and mistakes of social organizations;

b. human communities and their relationships with climate, subsistence base, resources, geography, and technology;

c. the origin and impact of ideologies, religions, and institutions upon human societies;

d. the consequences of peace and violent conflict to societies and their cultures;

e. major developments in societies as well as changing patterns related to class, ethnicity, race, and gender;

2) Understand the people and the political, geographic, economic, cultural, social, and environmental events that have shaped the history of the state, the United States, and the world;

3) Recognize that historical understanding is relevant and valuable in the student's life and for participating in local, state, national, and global communities;

4) Recognize the importance of time, ideas, institutions, people, places, cultures, and events in understanding large historical patterns; and

5) Evaluate the influence of context upon historical understanding.

Skills For A Healthy Life
State Standards for students B-2
2) Demonstrate an ability to make responsible decisions by discriminating among risks and by identifying consequences.

State Standards for students C-1 thru 3
1) Resolve conflicts responsibly
2) Communicate effectively with in relationships
3) Evaluate how similarities and differences among individuals contribute to relationships.

State Standards for students D2.
2) Take responsible actions to create safe and healthy environments.
6) Use various methods of communication to promote community well-being.