Brown, Judson (1912-1998) | Sealaska Heritage Institute Archives

Judson Brown (1912-1998) was a Tlingit Indian and was born at Haines, Alaska, the son of James Wheeler Brown (K’ikaa, of the Kaagwaantaan) and Mary Spurgeon Brown (Kaasanak, of the Dakl’aweidi). Brown was an Eagle if the Dakl’aweidi’; Kaagwaantaan yadi, Keet Gooshi Hit. His Tlingit names were Shaakakooni (Mountain Flicker) and Hinleiych (Yelling Sea Water), referring to the ‘woosh’ sound of the fast flip as the killer whale dives again after surfacing.

Brown grew up in Haines, and after graduating from the Haines High School, Brown’s intellect and activities put on a path that allowed him to work in many important and influential capacities for the Native people of Alaska. While primarily a career fisherman, in Haines Brown also worked as a law clerk, deputy marshal, and served two-terms as mayor of Haines. Reaching beyond his activities in Haines, Brown served as a supervisor at the Pacific Maritime Association, Board of Director of the Sealaska Corporation, Board of Trustee for the Sealaska Heritage Institute, and as a Board Member of the Institute of Alaska Native Arts. Brown also participated in various tribal and regional organizations, such as his involvement with the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indians of Alaska and as a member of the Alaska Native Brotherhood. He became a self-taught ethnographer in his latter years and traveled extensively to Hawaii, Polynesia, and New Zealand for cultural exchange programs. Brown passed away in 1998.

Source: Nora and Richard Dauenhauer, Haa Kusteeyi, Our Culture (Juneau, Sealaska Heritage Foundation, 1994).