Hoonah Fire of 1944

In 1944 a fire destroyed the Snail house and most of downtown Hoonah. In a disaster such as a fire or death, it was the job of the opposite clan to replace the lost objects or make funeral arrangements. Upon completion, the opposite clan would be repayed one year later at a Koo.eex', or potlatch. David Williams and Willie Marks, artists from the Chookaneidi (the T'akdeintaan's ideal opposites, the Eagle Brown Bear Clan) created many of the replacement pieces of at.oow, or sacred (literally "paid for") objects destroyed in the fire. See below for two specific examples.