Sustaining Community
Description:
Men Working on Totem Poles in the Saxman CCC Carving Shed, 1940

In response to the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program arose from President Roosevelt's "New Deal" to offer employment opportunities. In 1934, three men, Gibson Young, Robert Martin, and Walter Soboleff applied for work with the CCC in Sitka. They were refused because they were Native. Vigorous protest against this hiring policy was led by the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB). Cyril Zuboff, President of the ANB, and William Paul, attorney for the ANB, were instrumental in bringing the issue to the attention of the Senate subcommittee on Indian Affairs. The resulting change was a hiring policy that required 50% of all employees be Native Alaskans in the Alaskan CCC program. From 1938 to 1942, Tlingit and Haida men restored or replicated 19th century totem poles from nearby villages to be raised in "totem parks" designed to attract tourists.

Ketchikan Museums, KM 77.3.5.920
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Men working on totem poles in the Saxman CCC carving shed, 1940Men working on totem poles in the Saxman CCC carving shed, 1940