BABY RAVEN READS BOOK WINS AWARD FROM AMERICAN INDIAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

Jan. 23, 2024

Sealaska Heritage Institute’s book “Celebration” has won a 2024 American Indian Youth Literature Picture Book Honor from the American Indian Library Association (AILA).

AILA, an affiliate of the American Library Association, gives biennial awards to identify and honor “the best writings and illustrations for youth, by and about Native American and Indigenous peoples of North America.”

The book, which was illustrated by Tlingit artist Jaax̱snée Kelsey Mata Foote and authored by Tlingit writer and artist Da.áat Lily Hope, was published through Baby Raven Reads, a Sealaska Heritage program for Alaska Native families with children up to age 5 that promotes language development and school readiness.

“Celebration” is one of five books in North America to receive the honor this year.

“Once again, we are astounded and humbled by the extraordinary reception our Baby Raven Reads books have received,” said SHI President Rosita Worl, Ph.D. “It’s so important for Native children to see their cultures accurately reflected in books and school materials. We are grateful to the AILA for elevating books across the continent that achieve this goal.”

The book, which was published in 2022, tells the story of the institute’s biennial dance-and-culture festival, Celebration, as seen from a young girl’s point of view.

The story brings readers into the life of one particular child, who has already learned about Celebration and who eagerly anticipates the event, wrote SHI President Rosita Worl in the foreword.

“We see how grandparents in our society play an important role in teaching our youth about our traditional culture and the songs and stories of our clans. She clearly sees that Native culture and Celebration will continue to play an important part in her life,” Worl wrote.

The story begins with a ferry trip to Juneau and culminates with the young girl’s dance performance at Centennial Hall, before she attends some of Celebration’s associated events, including the Toddler Regalia Review, the Native Artist Market and the Indigenous Fashion Show.

“Celebration” received this honor because of the illustrations, which were made by Mata Foote, who is Raven of the Taakw.aaneidí clan, and the story, which was written by Hope, who is Raven of the T’aḵdeintaan clan.

About Celebration
SHI held the first Celebration in 1982 at a time when the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian were in danger of losing knowledge of their ancient songs, dances and stories and the meaning behind the crests depicted on their regalia and clan at.óowu (sacred objects). It was held at the urging of Elders and clan leaders, who worried the cultures were dying after a period of severe oppression, during which time Native people did not sing their songs and dance their dances in public. The first Celebration was meant to underscore the fact the cultures had survived for more than 11,000 years.

The event proved to be so profound, SHI’s board of trustees decided to sponsor Celebration every other year in perpetuity. Celebration sparked a movement that spread across the region and into the Lower 48 — a renaissance of Southeast Alaska Native culture that prompted people largely unfamiliar with their own heritage to learn their ancestral songs and dances and to make regalia for future Celebrations.

Today, Celebration is one of the largest events in Alaska, drawing thousands of people to the four-day festival, many of whom are children.

About Baby Raven Reads
SHI sponsors Baby Raven Reads, an award-winning early literacy program that promotes a love of learning through culture and community. The program supports families with Alaska Native children up to age 5 living in Southeast Alaska. Participants attend family events and receive free books and literacy kits through the program.

Baby Raven Reads was first piloted in Juneau in 2014. Through partnerships with Tlingit and Haida Head Start, Alaska Native Heritage Center, Chilkat Indian Village, Ketchikan Indian Association, Metlakatla Indian Association and the Organized Village of Kake, the program has expanded to serve 17 communities in Alaska.

The program is based on ample research showing that Alaska Native students do better academically when culturally relevant content is incorporated into learning materials and classes. Books published through the program also help educate non-Native families about Alaska Native cultures, place-based storytelling, and traditional oral literature.
In recognition of SHI’s success in promoting literacy through Baby Raven Reads, the Library of Congress selected the program as a 2017 Best Practice Honoree, making it one of only 15 programs in the world to receive the honor that year. In 2018, the American Indian Library Association gave SHI’s book “Shanyaak’utlaax̱: Salmon Boy” its American Indian Youth Literature Best Picture Book Award, and in 2020, recognized “Raven Makes the Aleutians” with a Picture Book Honor Award.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. Its goal is to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding through public services and events. SHI also conducts social scientific and public policy research and advocacy that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars, a Native Artist Committee and a Southeast Regional Language Committee.

CONTACT: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.; Lily Hope, author, 907.957.8774, lilyhopeweaver@gmail.com, www.lilyhope.com; Kelsey Mata Foote, illustrator, 505.614.6236, kelseyfootey@gmail.com, https://www.instagram.com/kelseymatafoote