Exhibit showcases historical Tlingit collection in Germany

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) partnered with the Übersee-Museum Bremen to present “Living Things – The Tlingit Collection from Alaska,” a special exhibition now open in Bremen, Germany. The show features historical Tlingit objects from one of the museum’s oldest collections.

Created in collaboration with Tlingit representatives and SHI, “Living Things” provides insight into the rich cultural heritage of the Tlingit people. Visitors will experience a recreated clan house and learn about the complex history of the Tlingit through original diaries and letters from early collectors. Notable objects include:

• Naaxein (Chilkat Robe): A handwoven textile featuring the “diving whale” crest of the G̱aanax̱teidí clan. Chilkat weaving, once endangered, is now being revitalized by dedicated Tlingit artists.
  
  
• Shakee.át (Dance Headdress): A carved frontlet depicting a marbled murrelet, a crest of the Lukaax̱.ádi Clan, inlaid with abalone and once adorned with sea lion whiskers.
  
  
• Kéet Gwálaa (Killer Whale Dagger): An 18th-century weapon forged from meteoric iron, inlaid with abalone and adorned with a double-headed killer whale crest.
  
  
• X’áan Yinaa.át (Leather Armor): A 19th-century elk leather tunic decorated with Chinese coins and naval buttons, reflecting the resilience of Tlingit warriors.

During the colonial occupancy of Alaska in the late 19th century—at a time when imperial forces in Southeast Alaska were shifting from Russia to the United States—these objects were appropriated as documents of a supposedly dying culture. 

In 1881 and 1882, Arthur and Aurel Krause were commissioned by the Geographical Society of Bremen to document Tlingit culture. The Krause brothers traveled through the Chukchi Peninsula and overwintered in Chilkoot, compiling scientific studies and extensive ethnographic collections. At the time, Chilkoot was a trading post at Deishu, “The End of the Trail,” located near the mouth of the Chilkat River where a trail across a small isthmus provided access to the Tlingit village of Chilkoot on the Chilkoot River. It has since become the town of Haines. Additional objects in the Bremen collection came from Bernhard Bendel, a fur trader who acquired numerous items through intensive trade with Indigenous communities from 1868 to 1871. These objects were later brought to the Übersee-Museum by his brother-in-law Henry Thyarks.

In February 2024, SHI representatives Joe Zuboff (leader of the Angoon Deisheetaan Raven House), David Light (Elder of the Klukwan G̱aanax̱teidí clan) and Dr. Chuck Smythe traveled to Bremen to help plan the exhibition and examine the objects that had been stored away for over 100 years. During the opening ceremony, Deisheetaan clan leaders Garfield George and Joe Zuboff performed ceremonies to awaken these objects that had been dormant for all of this time.

For those outside Bremen—or museum visitors wanting to examine details from multiple angles—3D models of select objects are available online.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a tribal organization founded in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. SHI also conducts scientific and public policy research 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.

Captions: A visitor at the new Tlingit exhibit at the Übersee-Museum Bremen. During the opening, Deisheetaan clan leaders Garfield George (out of view) and Joe Zuboff (behind the blanket) performed ceremonies to awaken the objects that had been dormant for 100 years. Jens Emigholz, Vice President of the Carl Schurz German-American Club, Bremen (left) and Jason Chue, the US Consul General for Northern Germany and the American Embassy, Hamburg, were chosen to hold the blanket as they arranged funding for SHI representatives to travel to Germany to assist with the exhibit. Photos by Volker Beinhorn, courtesy of Übersee-Museum Bremen. Note: News outlets are welcome to use these photos for coverage of this story. For a higher resolution version, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com.