Two kootéeyaa, or totem poles, were unveiled outside of the Alaska State Troopers Public Safety Training Academy in Sitka last week (9-17-26). Tlingit and Haida Public Safety and the Alaska Department of Public Safety presented them to the community following the graduation of three village public safety officers.
Carver Will Peterson said it took about a year and a half to carve the kootéeyaa. His father Reggie designed them and they carved them together, with what Peterson said was the help of many hands.
“About 460 years ago, on an island just down the coast, a seed took root and grew into an exceptional western red cedar,” Peterson said. “That tree offered itself to this work.”
Peterson said the tree was cut in two and transformed into two 10-foot kootéeyaa. One represents an eagle, and the other a raven. Both feature a protector from different time periods.
“A state trooper on the eagle represents the modern day protector of law enforcement, while the watchman above the raven represents the traditional role of the watchman,” Peterson said.
James Cockrell is the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Public Safety. He said the kootéeyaa reflect the values at the heart of a trooper’s service.
“They stand for all we train at the Academy here and carry that responsibility into communities across Alaska, including state, municipal, tribal, and rural public safety officers,” Cockrell said.
Peterson said the responsibility to care for the community is the thread that ties traditional and modern-day protectors together.
“Different tools, same duty,” he said. “Hold the line. Guard the people. Rise when called.”
Peterson said the kootéeyaa are a symbol of ground where partnership can stand.
