SHI lecturer to retell 1882 bombardment of Angoon
Speaker to discuss historical events leading to attack on Tlingit village
Feb. 13, 2025
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will kick off its spring lecture series, featuring prominent voices in Indigenous knowledge, art and culture, wildlife conservation and science.
The first lecture will feature Shgendootan George, housemaster of the killer whale tooth house in Angoon, Alaska, who will present her talk, “Ya aan at kawdoolgaani dát – About When This Land Was Caught on Fire.”
George will provide a historical account of the events leading up to the 1882 shelling of Angoon, a devastating attack on the Tlingit village by U.S. naval forces. She will explore the social and political context of the time, the event’s impact on the Tlingit people and how it continues to shape historical narratives and community memory.
A lifelong educator, George has over 22 years of experience in classroom instruction and is a Chilkat weaver and practicing artist. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from the University of Puget Sound and is the founder of TIDES Education Associates, where she develops and reviews culturally responsive curricula, programs and teacher training.
The lecture is scheduled for noon, Thursday, Feb. 20, in Shuká Hít within the Walter Soboleff Building, 105 Heritage Way, in Juneau. The event will be livestreamed and posted on SHI’s YouTube channel.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private nonprofit 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.