SHI EXPANDS SUPPORT FOR NATIVE LANGUAGE STUDY AND INSTRUCTION AT UAS

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will fund University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) students interested in taking courses in X̱aad Kíl, Sm’algyax and Lingít through a new initiative, Our Ancestor’s Echoes. Through the program SHI will also fund language teachers at UAS to provide free, non-credited language classes.

This funding will be available each semester throughout the duration of the three-year project, beginning with the spring 2023 semester and concluding with the spring 2025 semester. 

Scholarship applicants must be Alaska Native, planning to take an eligible language course, and have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 as a full- or part-time student at the UAS Juneau campus. Preference will go to applicants who are majoring in a field related to language (e.g. Alaska Native Languages and Studies) and to those who are working towards a heritage language teaching or speaking certificate.

The application is only for scholarship funding; students must register for the UAS course independently. Funding for these course credits is limited; application and necessary documents should be emailed to leah.urbanski@sealaksa.com by Friday, Jan. 6. Applicants must include an unofficial transcript from their most recently attended school and documents to show tribal affiliation. Applicants will be notified via email regarding their acceptance status.

Language Scholars

Through the same project, SHI has also selected six Native language students for a bachelor’s degree program to further perpetuate Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian languages in the establishment of learning nests.

Casey Moats, Crystal Fierro, Greg Frisby, Raven Svenson, Skaydu.û Jules and Terri Modig were chosen for this program, and SHI will pay room, board and tuition for the students. 

The three-year initiative builds on a similar program that ended this year. Through that program, six language learners received their teaching certificates and the remaining nine are working toward that goal as well, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“We are so proud of the achievements of our language students. They are at the forefront of perpetuating our ancient languages. With this new round of recruits, we are building on our efforts to hear our languages once again spoken on the land,” Worl said.

Through the three-year program, these selected candidates will be expected to:

•         Spend four hours weekly listening to audio in their heritage language;
•         Spend each year with an advanced language speaker translating and transcribing 15 minutes of archival audio;
•         Attend SHI’s healing Summer Language Program each year; and,
•         Obtain a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous studies with an emphasis in Alaska Native Languages

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 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: For questions about applying for funding or about the scholarship program, contact leah.urbanski@sealaska.com. For questions about this press release, contact Kathy Dye, SHI Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Caption: Photo of 2022 language graduates by Stacy Unzicker, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: news outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher-res version, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com