COLLECTIONS
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The Sealaska Heritage Institute Collections
We collect and preserve materials that document the history, culture, heritage, and language of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people, and we make these materials available to the public for educational and research purposes. Materials collected by the institute include books, manuscript papers (such as personal diaries, correspondence, meeting minutes), photographs, recordings (such as audio and visual recordings), and ethnographical and art objects. Our collections also serve as a repository on behalf of clans and tribes for cultural objects repatriated under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act for Native people of Southeast Alaska.
SHI’s collections are searchable in our online database. Our database is similar to a regular library catalog in some regards, but it is specifically designed to be user-friendly for archival research by allowing you to find materials by creator, subject, type of record, or keyword search. For more information on using the database, this video series goes over the different elements of global searching, exploring the archives directory, and exploring the art and ethnographic directory.
Once a desired item is found, please write down the details of the materials you would like to research and make an appointment to visit our facility by contacting archives staff at the email address listed below. The reading room is open to researchers Monday through Friday from 10am-4pm (closed 12-1) by appointment. Please request an appointment with 24-48 hours notice so staff can pull the requested materials from the vault. Patrons unable to visit our onsite facility should contact the Archives for information about obtaining digital reproductions or photocopies.
Many of SHI's holdings are available to the public for educational and research purposes. For more information, please contact our archivist at SHIArchives@sealaska.com.
