SHI to celebrate 10-year anniversary of Walter Soboleff Building
Full-day event to feature language speakers, Native dancers, artist market and new exhibition
May 13, 2025
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will host a public celebration Thursday to mark the 10-year anniversary of the opening of its Walter Soboleff Building.
The event will include Native dance performances, speeches in Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian languages, an artist market, free tours of the William L. Paul Sr. Archives and Collections and the grand opening of a new exhibit, “Át Kawdiyaayi Yéil, Raven in Motion,” curated by Shkík Miranda Belarde-Lewis, Ph.D.
The celebration begins at 11 a.m. at Atnané Hít (Arts Campus), where students and young speakers from the Tlingit Culture, Language and Literacy (TCLL) program will deliver speeches in Indigenous languages. Seating will be provided for Elders, and in the case of severe weather, activities will move indoors to Shuká Hít (Clan House).
Dance performances will follow throughout the day, including:
- 12 p.m. – Yées Ku.oo Dancers
- 3 p.m. – Tlingit & Haida Elders Dance Group
- 4 p.m. – Has Du Eetíx’ X’aakeidíx̱ Haa Sitee
An artist market will be held from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Atnané Hít (Arts Campus), featuring Native artists from across Southeast Alaska.
Inside the Walter Soboleff Building, SHI will open its newest exhibition, “Át Kawdiyaayi Yéil, Raven in Motion,” at 5 p.m. with a performance by the Eagle Raven Dancers. A curator talk by Miranda Belarde-Lewis will follow at 5:30 p.m. The exhibition explores Raven’s enduring presence in Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian art, storytelling and cultural knowledge.
SHI will also offer free, guided tours of its William L. Paul Sr. Archives and Collections—home to the world’s largest collection of Tlingit audio recordings—at the following times:
Space is limited, and advance sign-up is required to participate in the archive tours.
The entire day of programming is free and open to the public.
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@sealaskaheritage.com.
Caption: The front of the Walter Soboleff Building. Photo courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: Media outlets are permitted to use this image for coverage of this story. For a higher-res image, contact kathy.dye@sealaskaheritage.com.