Sitka, officially the Republic of Sitka (Esperanto: Respubliko Sitko), is a country in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, consisting of a narrow strip of the North American continental landmass and hundreds of offshore islands.
Inhabited by Alaska natives for millennia, the territory was part of Russian America until 1867, when Russia sold its remaining possessions in North America to the United States. In 1947, responding to the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe, the United States created the Territory of Sitka comprising the three islands, and resettled displaced Eastern Europeans in the area. Since 1997, Sitka has been a sovereign, self-governing state. Sitka City is its capital and largest city.
Etymology[]
The name Sitka (derived from Sheeťká, a contraction of the Tlingit Shee Aťiká) means "People on the outside of Baranof Island."
Its three main constituent islands are:
- Admiralty Island, named by George Vancouver in honor of his Royal Navy employers, the Admiralty.
- Baranof Island, named by Imperial Russian Navy captain U. F. Lisianski to honor Alexander Andreyevich Baranov, the first governor of Russian Alaska.
- Chichagof Island, named after the Russian Arctic explorer Admiral Vasili Chichagov.
History[]
Russian era (1799-1867)[]
Sitka's location was originally settled by the Tlingit people over 10,000 years ago. The Russians settled present-day Sitka in 1799, calling it Fort Michael the Archangel (Russian: форт Архангела Михаила, Fort Arkhangela MIkhaila). The governor of Russian America, Aleksandar Baranov, arrived under the auspices of the Russian-American Company, a colonial trading company chartered by Tsar Paul I. In June 1802, Tlingit warriors destroyed the original settlement, killing many of the Russians, with only a few managing to escape. Baranov was forced to levy 10,000 rubles in ransom for the safe return of the surviving settlers.
Baranov returned in August 1804, with a large force, including Yuri Lisyansky's Neva. The ship bombarded the Tlingit fort on 20 August, but was not able to cause significant damage. The Russians then launched an attack on the fort and were repelled. However, after a couple days of bombardment, the Tlingit surrendered on 22 August, then deserted the fort four days later.
Following their victory at what is now called the Battle of Sitka, the Russians established New Archangel as a permanent settlement named after Arkhangelsk, the largest city in the region where Baranov was born. The Tlingit re-established a fort on the Chatham Strait side of Peril Strait to enforce a trade embargo with the Russian establishment. In 1808, with Baranov still governor, New Archangel was designated the capital of Russian America.
The Cathedral of Saint Michael was built in Sitka in 1848, and became the seat of the Russian Orthodox Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kuril and Aleutian Islands, and Alaska. The original church burnt to the ground in 1966, but was restored to its original appearance, with the deliberate exception of its clock face, which was originally black, and is now white.
For the first half of the nineteenth century, New Archangel was known as the "Paris of the Pacific," as it was the most important port on the west coast of the Americas.
From 1841 to 1853, New Archangel was the home of Saint Innocent of Alaska, during his tenure as Bishop of Kamchatka, the Kuril and Aleutian Islands, and Alaska. He was known for his interest in education, and his house, parts of which served as a schoolhouse, has been restored as part of the Sitka National Historical Park. Swedes, Finns, and other Lutherans also worked for the Russian-American Company, and the Sitka Lutheran Church, built in 1840, was the first Protestant church on the Pacific coast. After the transfer to American control, the influence of other Protestant religions increased, and Saint Peter's-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church was consecrated as the Cathedral of Alaska in 1900.
Alaska Territory era (1867-1947)[]
Sitka was the site of the signing of the Alaska Purchase, and where the transfer of power took place on 18 October 1867. Russia was going through economic and political turmoil after it lost the Crimean War to Britain, France, and Turkey in 1856, and decided it wanted to sell Alaska before it was taken over by Britain. Russia offered to sell it to the United States. Secretary of State William Seward had wanted to purchase Alaska for quite some time, as he saw it as an integral part of Manifest Destiny and America's reach to the Pacific Ocean. While the agreement to purchase Alaska was made in April 1867, the actual purchase and transfer of power took place on 18 October. The cost to purchase Alaska was $7.2 million.
Alaska's first newspaper following the purchase, The Sitka Times was published by Barney O. Ragan on 19 September 1868. Only four issues were published that year, as Ragan lacked resources to continue. The paper resumed publishing the following year as The Alaska Times. In 1870, the newspaper moved to Seattle.
Sitka served as the capital of the Alaska Territory from 1867 until 1906, when the seat of government was relocated north to Juneau.
The Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded in Sitka in 1912 to address racism against Alaska Native people in Alaska. By 1914, the organization had constructed the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall on Katlian Street. Sitka's Filipino community had been established by 1929.
Gold mining and fish canning paved the way for the town's initial growth. In World War II, when the United States Navy constructed an air base on Japonski Island, bringing 30,000 service personnel to the area, Sitka's resident population and economy grew as well.
Sitka Territory era (1947-1997)[]
In November 1938, two weeks after Kristallnacht, U.S. Department of the Interior Undersecretary Harold L. Ickes proposed the use of Alaska as a "haven for Jewish refugees from Germany and other areas in Europe where the Jews are subjected to oppressive restrictions." Resettlement in Alaska would allow the refugees to bypass normal immigration quotas, because Alaska was a territory and not a state. That summer, Ickes had toured Alaska and met with local officials to discuss improving the local economy and bolstering security in a territory viewed as vulnerable to Japanese attack. Ickes thought European Jews might be the solution. In his proposal, Ickes pointed out that 200 families from the Dust Bowl had successfully settled in Alaska's Matanuska Valley.
The plan was introduced as a bill by Senator William King of Utah and Representative Franck Havenner of California. The Alaska proposal won the support of theologian Paul Tillich, the Federal Council of Churches, and the American Friends Service Committee. The plan was dealt a severe blow when President Franklin Roosevelt told Ickes that he insisted on limiting the number of refugees to 10,000 per year for five years, and with a further restriction that Jews not make up more than 10% of the refugees. Roosevelt never mentioned the proposal in public, and with his support, the plan died.
When the war ended in 1945, tens of millions of Europeans were displaced, and the redrawing of international borders meant many had become refugees in a foreign country. President Harry Truman revived interest in the Alaska plan, and with some modifications it was enacted by the United States Congress in 1946. On 1 April 1947, Admiralty, Baranof, and Chichagof Islands, along with their nearby smaller islets, were officially separated from the Territory of Alaska and reconstituted as the Territory of Sitka. Unlike the Alaska Territory, which had had a territorial legislature since 1912, the Sitka Territory would be directly administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior. At the time, the Territory had a population of approximately 2,000, clustered mostly in three settlements: the City of Sitka and Port Alexander on Baranof Island, and Angoon on Admiralty Island.
The first European settlers arrived during the summer of 1947. Living conditions in the territory during the early years were poor; the lack of suitable housing and unseasonably harsh winters in 1947 and 1948 inhibited large scale growth. The rich natural resources of the territory–namely timber and fish–allowed for strong economic potential, and Sitka grew quickly from 1948 onwards. By 1950, the territory's population had surpassed 250,000.
The cultural differences between the refugee populations required careful management. Initially settlements were ethnically segregated, with Germans resettled mostly in Angoon; Jews mostly in Port Alexander; and Slavs in Sitka. Residency and movement were tightly controlled until 1952. To address the difficulties caused by so many languages in use in the territory, the administration encouraged the use of Esperanto, an international auxiliary language, to ease communication across ethnic groups. Esperanto became the official language of the territory in 1954, and by 1960, it was the primary language of instruction in all schools.
By the late 1960s, Sitka's population had swelled to over 500,000, making it larger in population than four U.S. states (Nevada, Vermont, Wyoming, and Alaska). Despite its growing population and strong economy, the territory was still administered by the Department of the Interior, with no territorial or local government whatsoever. The lack of elected government led to the foundation in 1971 of the Association of Sitkans, whose goal was the creation of a territorial legislature and local government councils. The Department of the Interior granted limited local government to Sitka in 1979, in the form of three district councils, one for each island. In 1982, the University of Sitka was established.
The Act creating the Sitka Territory was set to expire on 31 March 1997, at which point Sitka would revert to Alaska, which had become a state in its own right in 1959. The prospect of reversion was popular among neither Sitkans nor Alaskans. Many Alaskans were fearful that Sitka, whose population was nearly double that of Alaska, would overwhelm the state's resources and dominate its politics. Others, however, believed absorption of Sitka would increase Alaska's prominence and influence. Sitkans were overwhelmingly against reversion to Alaska; while a continuation of the status quo remained an option, a majority of Sitkans supported either statehood in their own right or full independence. The "Sitka Question" dominated the politics of the region during the late 1980s and early 1990s.
On 2 June 1992, simultaneous referendums were held in Alaska and Sitka, which asked the respective populations for their preference on the status of the Sitka Territory. Turnout was 48% in Alaska and 86% in Sitka. The question was, "Do you want the Territory of Sitka to become part of the State of Alaska?" The "no" vote prevailed in both Alaska and Sitka, with 52% of Alaskans and 79% of Sitkans voting against reversion.
A second, Sitka-only referendum was held on 6 September 1992, which asked Sitkans to choose one of three potential outcomes for the territory's status: continuance as a territory, statehood, or independence. The referendum was held under the alternative vote system, where voters ranked the options in order of preference. On the first count, 44% of Sitkans favored independence, 29% favored maintenance of the status quo, and 27% favored statehood. When the least popular option was eliminated and preferences were distributed, 68% favored independence and 32% favored continuance as a territory.
Republic era (1997-present)[]
Geography[]
Sitka is the northern terminus of the Inside Passage, a protected waterway of convoluted passages between islands and fjords, beginning in Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. This was an important travel corridor for Tlingit and Haida native peoples, as well as gold-rush era steamships. In modern times it is an important route for the Sitka Marie Highway ferries, as well as cruise ships. Sitka has an area of 99,660 square kilometers, and is divided into ten districts. The Sitkan coast is roughly as long as the west coast of Canada. The 2015 population of Sitka was 1,125,246, about 45 percent of whom live in the District of Juneau.
The largest islands are, from north to south, Chichagof Island, Admiralty Island, Baranof Island, Kupreanof Islands, Revillagigedo Islands, and Prince of Wales Island. Major bodies of water in Sitka include Glacier Bay, Lynn Canal, Icy Strait, Chatham Strait, Stephens Passage, Frederick Sound, Summer Strait, and Clarence Strait.
Politics[]
- See article: Politics of Sitka
Sitka is a parliamentary representative democratic republic, in which the President of Sitka is the ceremonial head of state, and the Prime Minister of Sitka is the head of government. Sitka has a multi-party system which, despite a period of instability and fragmentation immediately following independence, has largely stabilized. Governments are usually led by one of two major parties, the centre-right Sitkan National Independence Party or the centre-left Union of Socialists and Democrats, with support of or in coalition with smaller parties. Minor parties are numerous in Sitka, and have occasionally wielded significant influence as kingmakers. Currently, the most prominent minor parties are the right wing National Law Party, the Women's List, and Green Sitka.
President[]
The President of Sitka is the country's head of state. As Sitka is a parliamentary republic, the President is mostly a ceremonial figurehead and a symbol of national unity, and does not play a major role in the day-to-day governance of the state. Most of the duties of the President are carried out solely on the advice of the Government, however there are certain powers the President may exercise at his or her discretion.
The President is elected by the Kunveno, or a special electoral college, for a four year term. To be elected by the Kunveno, a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority. If no candidate receives a two-thirds majority in three rounds of balloting, the Speaker of the Kunveno must convene the electoral college wtihin one month. The electoral college consists of all members of the Kunveno and representatives of the local councils.
A person may be elected President any number of times, but not more than twice consecutively.
Kunveno[]
The Kunveno (Esperanto: Assembly) is Sitka's national parliament. It is a unicameral legislature consisting of 102 members who are directly elected for a three-year term. Elections in Sitka operate under the system of proportional representation using political party lists.
The Kunveno influences the governing of the state primarily by establishing taxes and adopting the budget. At the same time, the Kunveno has the right to present statements, declarations, and appeals to the people; to ratify and denounce treaties with other states; and decide on government loans.
The Kunveno elects and appoints several high officeholders, including the President. In addition, the Assembly appoints, on the proposal of the President, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Chairperson of the Board of the Bank of Sitka, the Auditor-General, and the Attorney-General. Members of the Kunveno (MKs) have the right to demand explanations from the Government and its members. This enables the members of the Kunveno to observe the activities of the executive, and the above-mentioned officials.
Elections to the Kunveno are normally held on the first Sunday in March every three years, though an extraordinary election can be held at any time if the circumstances allow. The President calls the members into session approximately five weeks after the election.
| No. | Election | MKs |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 March 1997 | 96 |
| 2nd | 5 March 2000 | 98 |
| 3rd | 2 March 2003 | 99 |
| 4th | 5 March 2006 | 101 |
| 5th | 1 March 2009 | 101 |
| 6th | 4 March 2012 | 102 |
| 7th | 1 March 2015 | 102 |
| 8th | No later than 4 March 2018 | 107 |
Electoral system[]
The Kunveno is composed of members directly elected by universal adult suffrage for a four-year term of office. Elections to the Kunveno are carried out under the principal of proportional representation, as required by the constitution. Political parties submit ranked lists of candidates in multi-member districts. Voters may vote for a list, thereby giving their approval to the order in which the candidates are ranked, or for a specific candidate on a list.
Seats are initially distributed to the parties using the Webster/Sainte-Laguë method, based on each party's share of the national vote. A party must achieve at least five percent of the national vote to be allocated seats in the Kunveno. Once the total number of seats won by each party is determined, the seats are distributed to the electoral districts using a unique bi-proportional system. Candidates are elected to the Kunveno according to their ranking on their party's list, with the exception that any candidate who receives at least 25% of a simple quota in that district is promoted to the top of the list.
Government[]
The Government of the Republic is the national executive. It is formed by the Prime Minister, nominated by the President, and approved by the National Assembly. The Government exercises executive power pursuant to the constitution and the laws of the republic. The Government, also known as the Cabinet, consists of Ministers assigned to specific portfolios that correspond with various government departments. Although the ministers are formally appointed by the President, the President acts only on the advice of the Prime Minister, who can advise the President to appoint, reshuffle, or dismiss the ministers in the Government at any time.
The Government carries out the country's domestic and foreign policy, shaped by the National Assembly. It directs and coordinates the work of government institutions and bears the responsibility for everything that takes place under the authority of the executive. The Government, headed by the Prime Minister, thus represents the political leadership of the country and makes decisions in the name of the executive.
Law[]
The Supreme Court is the apex of the national judiciary, which also consists of administrative courts, city courts, and circuit courts. The Supreme Court consists of eleven justices, led by the Chief Justice, who is nominated by the President and appointed by the National Assembly. The Supreme Court is the court of last resort for appeals cases from lower courts, and is also a court of constitutional review.
Local government[]
- See articles: Districts of Sitka and Areas of Local Administration of Sitka
Local government in Sitka operates under a two-tier system, with services divided between districts and areas of local administration (ALAs). Districts and ALAs are created and abolished by acts of the Kunveno; there are currently nine districts, twenty-six ALAs, and one unified authority.
Economy[]
Demographics[]
As of April 1, 2015, Sitka had an estimated population of 1,044,831. Nearly all of the population lives in one of Sitka's nineteen local government areas (LGAs). Territory outside the LGAs is directly managed by the state, and settlement outside the LGAs is typically not permitted. As of 2016, fewer than 500 Sitkans live outside an LGA.
The majority of Sitka's inhabitants are descendants of Eastern European refugees who arrived between 1947 and 1950. Among the most common ethnic groups are Polish, Ukrainian, Czech/Slovak, German and Russian. Sitka also has a sizable Jewish community.
Culture[]
Due to its multi-ethnic population of mostly Central and Eastern European origin, Esperanto was adopted as an interlocutory second language to facilitate communication in addition to English. The use of Esperanto in Sitka is unique; it is the only country where Esperanto is afforded official status. Nearly all Sitkans speak Esperanto as a second language, while approximately 62% of Sitkaers speak English.