The U.S. Forest Service has approved the Organized Village of Kake’s request to operate a cultural healing center at a seldom-used building at Portage Bay, according to an announcement from the agency last month.
The village plans to establish a program centered on cultural healing that would provide counseling to people struggling with alcohol, substance abuse and other issues, and reconnect them with their cultural identity.
“We know that immersing our people in the culture helps them and we’re also ... teaching them who they are, where they come from, who their clan is,” Village of Kake President Joel Jackson said.
The program would be based out of the Forest Service building on the north end of Kupreanof Island. The building can house up to 16 people, and features a common area, kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, garage, workshop and more.
Jackson has been involved with an advisory board overseeing development of the program. The board is made up of Kake community members as well as representatives from the Nature Conservancy in Alaska, a nonprofit organization focused on conservation.
The conservancy has helped the board plan their next steps and also organized a cultural exchange, which saw some members travel to Hawaii to meet and take inspiration from organizations hosting cultural healing programs there.
Jackson reported that he has been in talks with multiple organizations in an effort to find partners willing to help run the program.
They are currently working toward completing a feasibility study for the program and are pursuing funding opportunities with interested foundations.
There are still some tasks related to the building that need to be completed before they can start using it. The Forest Service approval letter states that use of the facility is dependent on resolving existing maintenance issues including repairing the electrical service, upgrading the water treatment system and repairing the heating system.
The village of Kake will also be responsible for maintenance of the facility while using it, and at least one bedroom with four bunks will be reserved for Forest Service use. The facility had been used as a field camp for Forest Service employees who worked on the Portage Bay road system.
The Forest Service’s special-use permit also includes a clause clarifying that the area around the facility will be non-exclusive, meaning that access to the area will not change for other forest users.
Jackson said he plans to take a crew out to the building soon to see what shape it is in and also said they will possibly hold a ceremony with community members and guests to have elders bless the facility.
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