Kanakas in Lingit Aani In Tlingit legends, there are tales of sailing to exotic lands such as Hawaii or Japan. The indigenous Hawaiians also have stories of journeys to the Pacific Northwest. What was the Hawaiian influence in southeast Alaska? During the 1830s there was a cross-cultural exchange in the Stikine area with the Native Hawaiians (Kanakas) and the Tlingit through the Hudson’s Bay Company fort. To bring all of this full circle, in 1995 the Tlingit-Kanaka tie was renewed with the sailing of the Hawai’iloa, built from lumber donated by the Sealaska Corporation.
