Kake means “the Town That Never Sleeps” after a memorial party in the distant past.

It is the home to the largest congregation of Humpback whales in the world.  Whales are abundant May through October.

Subsistance is accepted and an important part of past and current lifestyles in Kake.

Traditionally a Tlingit village,  it now has a number of other cultures as well.

Kake is the home of a 132.5-foot totem pole, the tallest in the world, carved in 1967 for the Alaska Purchase Centennial.

Fishing

April – June        Steelhead
May – June        King Salmon
July – September    Silver Salmon
July – September    Pink Salmon
Halibut almost all year long

Hunting

September – June    Black Bear
August – November    Deer
September-October    Wolf and Moose

Climate

Maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters.  Kake receives less precipitation than most of Southeast Alaska with only 54 inches yearly, 44 inches of that being snow.  Summer averages 44-62°.  Winter averages 26-43°.

Historically, the Kake tribe of the Tlingits controlled the trade routes around Kuiu and Kupreonof islands, defending their territory against other tribal groups in the region. Ventures into the region by early European explorers and traders resulted in occasional skirmishes between Native Tlingits and the foreigners. Tensions between locals and outsiders had been escalating when, in 1869, a non-Native sentry at the settlement in Sitka shot and killed a Kake Native. In accordance with their traditional custom, the Kakes then killed two prospectors in retribution. In reprisal, the U.S. Navy sent the USS Saginaw to punish the Kakes by shelling their villages and destroying their homes, boats and stored foods. The Kake people survived this onslaught, but were forced to disperse and live with other tribes to survive. Over the following 20 years, the Kakes regrouped at the current village site. In 1891, a government school and store were built. A Society of Friends mission also was established. A post office was built in 1904. In the early part of this century, Kake became the first Alaska Native village to organize under federal law, resulting in U.S. citizenship for community residents. In 1912 the first cannery was built near Kake. After the Second World War, timber harvesting and processing became a major local industry. The City was incorporated in 1952. 

A federally-recognized tribe is located in the community -- the Organized Village of Kake; Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. The population of the community consists of 74.6% Alaska Native or part Native. It is a Tlingit village with a fishing, logging and subsistence lifestyle. Traditional customs are important to the Kakes. The world's largest totem pole was commissioned by Kake and carved by Chilkats in 1967 for Alaska's centennial celebration. The 132-foot totem pole now stands on a bluff overlooking town.