Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SHI TO SPONSOR LECTURE ON MIGRATION STORIES AND CRESTS OF THE YANYEDÍ CLAN

Free event to be offered in-person, virtually

Oct. 10, 2022

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a lecture on the migration stories and crests of the Yanyedí clan on Thursday as part of its fall series.

In her lecture, The Place Where Your History Came Into Being Through Us, Lillian Petershoare will provide an overview of published information about the Yanyeidí clan of the T’aaku Kwáan.

Petershoare recognizes her mother, Kotchkei Dorothy Peters Coronell, as her most influential teacher and mentor. Through her lecture, Petershoare hopes to lift up the voices of Tlingit cultural leaders and scholars, as demonstrated by the use of the title of her talk, which was derived from a quote by Tlingit Elder Elizabeth Nyman of the Yanyeidí clan.

Petershoare cultivated a deep respect for Tlingit values taught by her mother, aunties, uncles, grandparents, cousins and neighbors as she grew up in the Juneau Indian Village. This strong foundation motivated her to pursue academic goals and earn a bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University, with a year at the London School of Economics, an education credential from the University of Alaska Southeast, and a master’s degree in library science from the University of Arizona, Tucson.

After a 22-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, 10 years as a research librarian and 12 years as a tribal relations program manager, Petershoare enjoys engaging in the arts, research, writing and social justice work.

Petershoare has been a contributor to several significant programs in the Juneau community.  Her contributions include: an audio walking guide to downtown Juneau, serving on the Native advisory committee for the city’s interpretive signs for downtown Juneau, and a number of productions related to Alaska Native culture and history including the effort to seek an apology and reparations related to the Presbyterian Church and the late Dr. Walter Soboleff. 

The lecture is scheduled for 12 pm, Thursday, Oct. 13, in Shuká Hít within SHI’s Walter Soboleff Building, 105 S. Seward St. in Juneau. The lectures 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. 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: Kathy Dye, SHI Communications and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Caption: Photo courtesy of Lillian Petershoare. Note: News outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher-res image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

 

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