Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE TO BRING MARC BROWN & THE BLUES CREW TO NEW ARTS CAMPUS PLAZA FOR JULY 4TH WEEKEND

Public invited to free inaugural performance at the campus, SHI to livestream

June 28, 2022

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has hired noted Fairbanks musicians Marc Brown & The Blues Crew to play at its newly-opened arts campus at Heritage Square in Juneau for the Fourth of July holiday.

The free event will mark the inaugural performance at the campus, which opened on June 8 of this year. The plaza was intended to be a hub for gatherings and performances.

“Our plaza was built with performing arts in mind, and we are kicking off the use of this new space with one of the state’s best Alaska Native bands,” said SHI President Rosita Worl. “We hope the plaza will become the new heart of Juneau, where residents will come together to share their art with the public.”

Brown is a Koyukon Athabascan who was raised within a large family of musicians in the small village of Huslia, Alaska. After picking up his first guitar at the age of 4, Brown began taking lessons from his late grandfather, Tony Sam Sr., at age 12. Within two years he was playing rhythm guitar for Sam Sr.’s band, which focused on country and gospel music. Brown would later attend the prestigious Berklee College of Music.

Listeners may remember the group most recently when they performed in the Áak’w Rock fest held in Juneau in 2021. Their 20-plus-year career has come with many significant milestones: opening for well-known bands like ZZ Top and Jethro Tull, winning a 2011 Native American Music Award for Best Blues Recording with their 10th album Indian Rock’n’Roll, and a nomination with that album for Group of the Year.

Their 15th and latest album, Open Your Eyes, is currently in the works and will feature what they’re known for: blues you can dance to!

The band will take the stage at 5 pm, Saturday, July 2. SHI will livestream the performance on its YouTube. The plaza is located at the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus across from SHI, which is at 105 S. Seward St. in downtown Juneau. This is a family event that is free to the community. Alcohol is not permitted at the concert. 

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636,  kathy.dye@sealaska.com; Marc Brown, marcanthonybrown@hotmail.com.
  

Caption: Marc Brown & The Blues Crew. Photo courtesy of Marc Brown. Note: news outlets are permitted to use this photo in association with coverage of this story.

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SHI AND CITY MUSEUM TO HOST LECTURE ON JUNEAU “FOUR STORY POLE”

Free event to be offered virtually, in-person

July 5, 2022

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), in partnership with the Juneau-Douglas City Museum (JDCM), will co-sponsor a lecture by Native art scholar Dr. Emily Moore next week on a shaman totem pole in Juneau.

Through the lecture, Reevaluating the “Four Story Pole” by John Wallace, Moore will examine recent research that suggests Kaigani Haida carver John Wallace intended the pole to be read as one story, rather than four separate stories. The account tells of a Tlingit shaman named Sa’wan who obtained knowledge of halibut hooks from the Land Otter People.

The federal government commissioned Wallace, who lived in Hydaburg, to carve the pole in 1940 through the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a government work relief program that employed Tlingit and Haida men from 1938 to 1942. Through her lecture, Moore will present the original 1940s interpretation of the pole, as recorded in the unpublished notes of Viola Garfield, an American anthropologist best known for her work on the social organization and art of the Tsimshian nation in British Columbia and Alaska.

Moore will also explore how the “Four Story” narrative emerged in the 1960s alongside strained tensions between the Tlingit and non-Tlingit communities in the Juneau-Douglas area, caused in part by the 1962 burning of the Douglas Indian Village.

The Juneau Chamber of Commerce purchased the pole in 1962, and the Juneau Rotary Club paid to transport and erect it in 1963. In 1994, the pole was moved to its current location in front of the city museum.

Out of proper protocol and respect, Moore endeavors to discuss her research findings on poles with clan leaders before sharing them publicly. However, as with several poles commissioned through the CCC period, Wallace’s pole is not discernably associated with any clan, but research is ongoing about which the clans might be associated with the totem.

Moore is an associate professor of art history and associate curator of North American Art at the Gregory Allicar Museum at Colorado State University, where she teaches courses in Native American and American art history. Raised in Ketchikan, she has focused her research on Tlingit and Haida arts of the twentieth century and is the author of the book Proud Raven, Panting Wolf: Carving Alaska’s New Deal Totem Parks, published by the University of Washington Press in 2018. Moore has twice been a visiting scholar with SHI.  

The lecture is scheduled at 12 pm, Tuesday, July 12, in the clan house at Sealaska Heritage Institute. A question-and-answer session will follow. After the talk, Moore will invite her audience to accompany her up the hill to view the totem pole, which is on display in front of JDCM. SHI will livestream the lecture on its YouTube.

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: Chuck Smythe, SHI Senior Ethnologist, 907.586.9282, chuck.smythe@sealaska.com; Beth Weigel, JDCM Director, beth.weigel@juneau.org, 907.586.3572

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE’S TRUSTEES NAME LEAD DANCE GROUP FOR CELEBRATION 2024

Group hails from Whitehorse, Canada

June 23, 2022

The Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) Board of Trustees has named Dakhká Khwáan Dancers (People of the Inland) as the lead dance group for Celebration 2024.

Dakhká Khwáan Dancers, a Tlingit group based in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, will lead all dancers for the first time since the group initially performed at Celebration in 2008.

The honor is given to one dance group every two years. The lead dance group is responsible for leading the Grand Entrance and Grand Exit songs, during which every participating dance group dances across the stage to mark the beginning and end of Celebration. That requires the lead group to drum and sing for up to three hours straight during both processions. 

“It means the world to us, we are very honored and humbled to have such a great responsibility upon us,” wrote group leader Marilyn Jensen. “We are also thinking about our ancestors and all of our elders who helped us along the way to be able to prepare for this great honor. We plan on taking it to the next level and cannot wait to dance with our friends and families in 2024!”

Celebration is a major, four-day event organized by Sealaska Heritage every two years. First held in 1982, it has become one of the largest events in the state, drawing thousands of people and millions of dollars to the capital city of Juneau.

It’s a time when Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people come together to celebrate their cultural survival and also to share their cultures with the public.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com; Marilyn Jensen, leader of the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers, 867.334.9886, marilynajensen@gmail.com.  

Caption: Dakhká Khwáan, Dancers (People of the Inland) at Celebration 2022. Photo by Nobu Koch, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: Media outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher resolution image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

NATIVE FOOD CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED BY SHI

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has announced the winners of its popular traditional food contests, held as part of Celebration 2022

June 9, 2022

The winners are as follows:

Back Seaweed Contest

Mike Allard, first place
Theresa Wellington, second place
Christina Weber, third place

Dry Fish Contest

Donna James, first place
Kenneth Willard Jr., second place
Mike Allard, third place

Seal Oil Contest

Sharon Olsen, first place
Sally Joseph, second place
Diane Carrier, third place

Olsen says the secret to good seal oil is that she’s tender, patient and picky about her craft, and she is careful to ensure that no blood, hair or fat remain in her prize-winning oil.

“I know I’ve been successful when I can see clearly through the jar,” she said.

Allard said he learned how to prepare black seaweed from his parents and that he made small adjustments.

“My motto is – dry with love,” he said.

Winners were announced onstage at Centennial Hall on Thursday afternoon. The institute sponsors the contests to introduce young people to traditional Native foods and to highlight the health benefits of traditional Native cuisine. Names of contestants were kept secret from the judges prior to the judging.

Celebration is a major, four-day event organized by Sealaska Heritage every two years. First held in 1982, it has become the one of the largest events in the state, drawing thousands of people to the capital.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Caption: Awards ceremony for SHI’s Native food contests, held during Celebration 2022. Photo by Stacy Unzicker, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: News outlets are welcome to use these images for coverage of this story. For higher resolution images, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2022 JURIED ART COMPETITION, YOUTH ART EXHIBIT

Juried Art Show and Competition

June 8, 2022

Thirteen artists have taken top prizes and one honorable mention at Sealaska Heritage Institute’s eleventh biennial Juried Art Show and Competition, and three young artists also placed in SHI’s fourth biennial Juried Youth Art Exhibit.

Tlingit artist Káakaxaawulga Jennifer Younger won Best of Show and Best of Carving and Sculpture Division for her piece Mussel.

“The creativity of this piece is extraordinary,” commented co-juror Shgendootan Robyn Kay George. “The varying lines on the outer shell show knowledge of real mussel shells. Beautiful, creative and excellent craftsmanship.”

 “Different textures, different forms ‘ it all works,” added co-juror Mick Beasley.

Tlingit artist James Johnson won the Best of Formline Design award for his Transforming Raven Box.

Other winners in the Juried Art Show by division and category:

Carving and Sculpture Division (wood and metal categories): Tlingit artist KaaX̱ Tséen Herb Sheakley won the Best of Wood Category for LukakuwóoX̱’ and Tlingit artist William (Lee) Burkhart won the Best of Metal Category for his piece Ke╠üet, as well as an Honorable Mention for Eye of The Beholder.

2D and Relief Carving Division: Haida and Aleut artist Gregory Frisby won Best of Division for Wasco Cloak, which was also awarded second place in the Best of Formline awards.

Sewing Division (skin and fur, beadwork and vest categories): Tlingit and Haida artist Aanchgwanutk’ Janice Jackson won Best of Division and Best of Skin & Fur for her piece Great Grandmother’s Spirit; Tlingit artist Jill Kaasteen Meserve won Best of Beadwork for her piece Resiliency in Connections: Mini Cellphone Octopus Bag; and Tlingit artist Kooseen Janice Hotch won Best of Vest Sewing for her Tlingit Seal Hide Vest.

Weaving Division (Chilkat inspired, Ravenstail and basketry categories): Tlingit artist Gunashaa Lisa Fisher won Best of Division for her piece The Fishing Grounds; Tlingit artist Wooshkindein Da.áat Lily Hope won Best of Chilkat-Inspired Weaving for her piece Clarissa’s Feast Dish; Tsimshian artist Ksm Lx’Sg̲a̲n Ruth Hallows won Best of Ravenstail for Our Sisters Dance With Us; Haida artist Kung Káayangs Marlene Liddle won the Best of Basketry Category for her piece Golden Glow; and Tlingit, Haida and Aleut artist Ḵaatuwdu.oo Nicole Carle won an Honorable Mention for Destination.

Endangered Arts Division (spruce root basketry category): Haida artist Xay Kuyaas Ariane Medley took Best of Division in Endangered Arts for her piece Ancestral Style Spruce Root Lidded Basket.

Other pieces selected for exhibit included: Sgaan ts’al tl’asdang (Double finned killer whale) by Kún Kuyáang Karl Hoffman, In Time by Alison Bremner and Cole Speck, Raven Bringing Light to the World by Jeffery Sheakley, Giving Wealth by ShkáX̱ Kawdulaak Andrew Tripp, Ch’iyáash by KaaX̱ Tséen Herb Sheakley, T’aawáḴ by KaaX̱ Tséen Herb Sheakley, Eagle Bowl by James Johnson, Sea Lion Helmet by James Johnson, Raven Bowl by Naa k’ool dzaaz eesh William Pfeifer, Raven Transformational Mask by Naa k’ool dzaaz eesh William Pfeifer, and Enchanted by Ḵaatuwdu.oo Nicole Carle, Memorial Beats by Wooshkindein Da.áat Lily Hope, Women’s Leggings by Gunashaa Lisa Fisher, Our Ravenstail Face Mask by Xay Kuyaas Ariane Medley, and Basket by Merle Andersen.

Jurors Shgendootan Robyn Kay George and Michael “Mick” Beasley reviewed the pieces blindly, meaning the names of artists who submitted pieces were not disclosed.

Juror George said SHI’s Juried Art Show provides an amazing opportunity for artists to reach a wider audience with their work, noting that it has launched the careers of many up and coming future artist stars.

“This year we saw an expansive range of art, from drums to sculptures to headbands–from functional regalia to purely artistic stand-alone pieces. It was an honor to serve this year as a juror and especially exciting to get to see all the work before the rest of the world.”

SHI’s Juried Youth Art Exhibit includes 20 objects made by 15 high school students from Anchorage, Angoon, Craig, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Metlakatla. Haida artist Git Kuyaa Kinsie Young of Anchorage won first place for Lightning Apron, Tsimshian artist Alicia Feak-Lent of Metlakatla won second place for Gertie, and Tlingit and Tsimshian artist Sean Guthrie of Ketchikan won third place for Northwest Coast.

The Youth Art Exhibit juror was Jackson Polys (Stephen Paul Jackson), a Tlingit artist and educator. In a statement, he addressed the young artists: “Seeing your work submitted for the exhibit is incredibly encouraging and inspiring. The artworks reveal exciting developments of your artistic voice, as you experiment and refine through drawing, painting, carving, sewing, and weaving to create works that surprise usΓǪ Overall one can sense that your growing skill is giving you freedom to express both individually and to contribute to our cultural resurgence.”

The youth exhibit will be on display at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center through June 24. The Juried Art Show exhibit will be on display in the Nathan Jackson Gallery at the Walter Soboleff Building in Juneau through Dec. 3. The gallery also features SHI’s exhibit, Our Grandparents’ Names on the Land, which explores ancient place names and the innovative inventions that were used to catch halibut and salmon.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Caption, from top: “Mussel” by Tlingit artist Káakaxaawulga Jennifer Younger, Best of Show and Best of Carving and Sculpture Division; “Transforming Raven Box” by Tlingit artist James Johnson, Best of Formline Design;”Lightning Apron” by Haida artist Git Kuyaa Kinsie Young, first place, Juried Youth Art Exhibit. Note: News outlets are welcome to use these images for coverage of this event. For a higher resolution imagea, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

CELEBRATION 2022 TO KICK OFF NEXT WEEK!

Event to be broadcast, streamed live

June 1, 2022

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will kick off its biennial Celebration next week, marking the 40th year since the inception of the popular dance-and-culture festival.

Celebration is a major, four-day event organized by Sealaska Heritage every two years. First held in 1982, it has become the one of the largest events in the state, drawing thousands of people and millions of dollars to the capital city.

It’s a time when Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people come together to celebrate their cultural survival and also to share their cultures with the public, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“We have a lot to celebrate this year. This is the first time we’ve come together in-person for Celebration in four years because of Covid-19, and it’s the 40th anniversary of the event. It will be a joyous reunion and celebration,” said Worl, adding the general public is welcome to attend.

Nearly 1,200 dancers from 28 dance groups will participate this year. Along with dance performances, Celebration features associated events, including a Juried Art Show and Competition, a Juried Youth Art Exhibit, a Northwest Coast Art Market, Native food contests, a Toddler Regalia Review, and a parade through downtown Juneau.

Events will be held in numerous venues, including Centennial Hall, the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall, Sealaska Heritage’s Walter Soboleff Building, and the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus.

Celebration 2022 will feature two lead dance groups, both of Wrangell: Shx’at Kwáan (People Near the Mainland) and Kaasitlaan Dancers. The 2022 theme is Celebrating 10,000 Years of Cultural Survival.

“The theme is fitting in that forty years ago we came together for the first Celebration to celebrate our cultural survival. Here we are now, four decades later, and in the aftermath of a pandemic, and our cultures are thriving,” Worl said.

The Celebration 2022 art was designed by Haida and Tlingit artist Kimberly Fulton Orozco, who won SHI’s first ever Celebration art competition with her piece The Energy That Moves Us, which was inspired by the 2022 theme.

SHI will also hold a grand opening for its Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus, which will include a ceremony for the new Sealaska Cultural Values Totem Pole, a rare and massive piece carved on all sides and the first one of its kind in Alaska. The totem, made by Haida artist TJ Young with assistance from Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian carvers, will represent all three tribes of Southeast Alaska and the four core cultural values that guide SHI programs.

The event will mark a huge milestone in SHI’s quest to make Juneau the Northwest Coast arts capital and to declare Northwest Coast arts a national treasure.

The Juried Art Show will open at 4:30, June 3, for First Friday at SHI’s Walter Soboleff Building. The campus opening is scheduled at noon, Wednesday, June 8, and will be followed at 4 pm by the Juried Art Show and Competition awards ceremony in the clan house at Sealaska Heritage. The Grand Entrance is scheduled for 6 pm at Centennial Hall, and the event runs through Saturday, June 11.

SHI will sponsor a live, statewide broadcast of Celebration on public television’s 360TV over the air, on cable, on the web and the KTOO Roku App. Live coverage will begin with the campus opening on Wednesday. News media outlets are welcome to cover the event. Reporters are required to sign in at the information booth in Centennial Hall and wear a media pass. 

Tickets

SHI will begin early ticket sales for Celebration and distribute dancer wristbands starting on Monday at the following times and locations:

Monday, June 6, 1-4 pm, lobby of Sealaska Heritage (105 S. Seward St.). Credit card payment only.
Tuesday, June 7, 1-4 pm, lobby of Sealaska Heritage (105 S. Seward St.). Credit card payment only.
Wednesday, June 8, noon-9 pm, Centennial Hall. Cash and credit cards accepted.

Attendees will be required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination for access to all indoor venues. SHI’s Covid mitigation plan, which also includes other measures, is intended to ensure the safety of participants.

Four-day passes are $35 for adults and $15 for Elders and youth (ages 7-12). One-day tickets are $18 for adults, and $10 for Elders and youth (ages 7-12). Children ages 6 and under are admitted at no charge. Dance group schedules will be published in the program, which will be available at the SHI Store beginning Monday, June 6, and at the admissions tables at Centennial Hall and the Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Caption: Celebration 2022 art “The Energy That Moves Us” by Haida and Tlingit artist Kimberly Fulton Orozco. Note: Media outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher resolution image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF 2022 JURIED ART COMPETITION, YOUTH ART EXHIBIT

Juried Art Show and Competition

June 8, 2022

Thirteen artists have taken top prizes and one honorable mention at Sealaska Heritage Institute’s eleventh biennial Juried Art Show and Competition, and three young artists also placed in SHI’s fourth biennial Juried Youth Art Exhibit.

Tlingit artist Káakaxaawulga Jennifer Younger won Best of Show and Best of Carving and Sculpture Division for her piece Mussel.

“The creativity of this piece is extraordinary,” commented co-juror Shgendootan Robyn Kay George. “The varying lines on the outer shell show knowledge of real mussel shells. Beautiful, creative and excellent craftsmanship.”

 “Different textures, different forms ‘ it all works,” added co-juror Mick Beasley.

Tlingit artist James Johnson won the Best of Formline Design award for his Transforming Raven Box.

Other winners in the Juried Art Show by division and category:

Carving and Sculpture Division (wood and metal categories): Tlingit artist KaaX̱ Tséen Herb Sheakley won the Best of Wood Category for LukakuwóoX̱’ and Tlingit artist William (Lee) Burkhart won the Best of Metal Category for his piece Kéet, as well as an Honorable Mention for Eye of The Beholder.

2D and Relief Carving Division: Haida and Aleut artist Gregory Frisby won Best of Division for Wasco Cloak, which was also awarded second place in the Best of Formline awards.

Sewing Division (skin and fur, beadwork and vest categories): Tlingit and Haida artist Aanchgwanutk’ Janice Jackson won Best of Division and Best of Skin & Fur for her piece Great Grandmother’s Spirit; Tlingit artist Jill Kaasteen Meserve won Best of Beadwork for her piece Resiliency in Connections: Mini Cellphone Octopus Bag; and Tlingit artist Kooseen Janice Hotch won Best of Vest Sewing for her Tlingit Seal Hide Vest.

Weaving Division (Chilkat inspired, Ravenstail and basketry categories): Tlingit artist Gunashaa Lisa Fisher won Best of Division for her piece The Fishing Grounds; Tlingit artist Wooshkindein Da.áat Lily Hope won Best of Chilkat-Inspired Weaving for her piece Clarissa’s Feast Dish; Tsimshian artist Ksm Lx’Sg̲án Ruth Hallows won Best of Ravenstail for Our Sisters Dance With Us; Haida artist Kung Káayangs Marlene Liddle won the Best of Basketry Category for her piece Golden Glow; and Tlingit, Haida and Aleut artist Ḵaatuwdu.oo Nicole Carle won an Honorable Mention for Destination.

Endangered Arts Division (spruce root basketry category): Haida artist Xay Kuyaas Ariane Medley took Best of Division in Endangered Arts for her piece Ancestral Style Spruce Root Lidded Basket.

Other pieces selected for exhibit included: Sgaan ts’al tl’asdang (Double finned killer whale) by Kún Kuyáang Karl Hoffman, In Time by Alison Bremner and Cole Speck, Raven Bringing Light to the World by Jeffery Sheakley, Giving Wealth by ShkáX̱ Kawdulaak Andrew Tripp, Ch’iyáash by KaaX̱ Tséen Herb Sheakley, T’aawá Ḵ by KaaX̱ Tséen Herb Sheakley, Eagle Bowl by James Johnson, Sea Lion Helmet by James Johnson, Raven Bowl by Naa k’ool dzaaz eesh William Pfeifer, Raven Transformational Mask by Naa k’ool dzaaz eesh William Pfeifer, and Enchanted by Káatuwdu.oo Nicole Carle, Memorial Beats by Wooshkindein Da.áat Lily Hope, Women’s Leggings by Gunashaa Lisa Fisher, Our Ravenstail Face Mask by Xay Kuyaas Ariane Medley, and Basket by Merle Andersen.

Jurors Shgendootan Robyn Kay George and Michael “Mick” Beasley reviewed the pieces blindly, meaning the names of artists who submitted pieces were not disclosed.

Juror George said SHI’s Juried Art Show provides an amazing opportunity for artists to reach a wider audience with their work, noting that it has launched the careers of many up and coming future artist stars.

“This year we saw an expansive range of art, from drums to sculptures to headbands–from functional regalia to purely artistic stand-alone pieces. It was an honor to serve this year as a juror and especially exciting to get to see all the work before the rest of the world.”

SHI’s Juried Youth Art Exhibit includes 20 objects made by 15 high school students from Anchorage, Angoon, Craig, Haines, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Metlakatla. Haida artist Git Kuyaa Kinsie Young of Anchorage won first place for Lightning Apron, Tsimshian artist Alicia Feak-Lent of Metlakatla won second place for Gertie, and Tlingit and Tsimshian artist Sean Guthrie of Ketchikan won third place for Northwest Coast.

The Youth Art Exhibit juror was Jackson Polys (Stephen Paul Jackson), a Tlingit artist and educator. In a statement, he addressed the young artists: “Seeing your work submitted for the exhibit is incredibly encouraging and inspiring. The artworks reveal exciting developments of your artistic voice, as you experiment and refine through drawing, painting, carving, sewing, and weaving to create works that surprise us… Overall one can sense that your growing skill is giving you freedom to express both individually and to contribute to our cultural resurgence.”

The youth exhibit will be on display at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center through June 24. The Juried Art Show exhibit will be on display in the Nathan Jackson Gallery at the Walter Soboleff Building in Juneau through Dec. 3. The gallery also features SHI’s exhibit, Our Grandparents’ Names on the Land, which explores ancient place names and the innovative inventions that were used to catch halibut and salmon.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Caption, from top: “Mussel” by Tlingit artist Káakaxaawulga Jennifer Younger, Best of Show and Best of Carving and Sculpture Division; “Transforming Raven Box” by Tlingit artist James Johnson, Best of Formline Design;”Lightning Apron” by Haida artist Git Kuyaa Kinsie Young, first place, Juried Youth Art Exhibit. Note: News outlets are welcome to use these images for coverage of this event. For a higher resolution imagea, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE INSTITUTE TO HOLD GRAND OPENING FOR SEALASKA HERITAGE ARTS CAMPUS

Facility to officially open during Celebration in June

May 16, 2022

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will hold a grand opening for the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus in June during its biennial dance-and-culture festival, Celebration.

The opening will include the unveiling of the new Sealaska Cultural Values Pole, a rare and massive piece carved on all sides and the first one of its kind in Alaska. The totem, made by Haida artist TJ Young with assistance from Tlingit and Tsimshian carvers, will represent all three tribes of Southeast Alaska and the four core cultural values that guide SHI programs.

The event will mark a huge milestone in SHI’s quest to make Juneau the Northwest Coast arts capital and to declare Northwest Coast arts a national treasure, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“With the opening of the campus, the unveiling of the totem pole and all of our other work to perpetuate and promote our ancient art forms, we declare Juneau the Northwest Coast arts capital,” Worl said. “We have worked for years to bring this moment to fruition, and the event will mark a new chapter in revealing the power and vibrancy of our art forms to the world.”

The construction of SHI’s Walter Soboleff Building was phase one of the institute’s vision to make Juneau the Northwest Coast arts capital, and the campus is phase two.

The campus, which encompasses approximately 6,000 square feet, houses indoor and outdoor  space for artists to make monumental Northwest Coast art pieces, such as totem poles and canoes; classrooms for art programming and instruction in areas such as basketry, textiles and print making; an art library, and space for artists-in-residence and faculty. The covered outdoor area will be used for performances, Native art markets and public gatherings.

Instruction will be offered for both non-credit and credit for students seeking art degrees through SHI partners, the University of Alaska Southeast and the Institute of American Indian Arts. It will also have capabilities for distance learning.

In May, crews installed on the campus building monumental art, which was based on the original painting Greatest Echo by Haida master artist Robert Davidson. He donated the piece to help raise funds to build the Walter Soboleff Building, which bears a similar design on its façade.

The campus building was designed to evoke of a series of bentwood boxes.

“As with the Walter Soboleff Building, we strove to build a work of art that befits the great traditions of our ancestors. We have taken an ancient art form and rendered it on metal in a modern way, and we have created monumental bentwood boxes. To me, it expresses the antiquity of our culture but in a new and vibrant way,” Worl said.

The grand opening is scheduled at noon, Wednesday, June 8. SHI welcomes the public to attend. The event will be live streamed by SHI.

SHI also plans to install five monumental bronze masks representing Alaska’s major cultural groups called Faces of Alaska at the campus. In addition, SHI last year secured funding to commission ten totem poles that will comprise part of Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail) along the downtown Juneau waterfront. The Totem Trail project, which is phase three of SHI’s plan to make Juneau the Northwest Coast arts capital, calls for a total of 30 totem poles. 

The $2.9 million grant from the Mellon Foundation will allow SHI to hire Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian master artists in Juneau and villages across Southeast Alaska to carve the poles, which will be raised in 2023.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Caption: Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus. Photo by Kai Monture, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: Media outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher resolution image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE DIGITIZES, POSTS ONLINE TREASURE TROVE OF RADIO RECORDINGS

Collection includes interviews with Native people dating back 37 years

May 10, 2022

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has digitized and posted online a treasure trove of radio recordings that includes interviews with Native people across Southeast Alaska that date back nearly four decades.

The collection includes hundreds of recordings made for the award-winning public radio program Southeast Native Radio, which was broadcast by KTOO in Juneau from 1985 to 2001. The recordings document Native history and action taken by Native Elders, leaders and other people, and the hosts asked hard-hitting questions that brought out the vital issues of the day.

“The collection is remarkable, as it offers so many interviews with people on topics of importance to Native people and the public at large. The recordings have research value but also sentimental value, as many of the people featured have since passed away,” said SHI President Rosita Worl.

The collection includes many gems and spans a wide range of topics, including, to name a few:

An interview with Native civil rights leader Roy Peratrovich a year before he died;
Separate interviews with Dr. Walter Soboleff and Nora Dauenhauer on Tlingit oratory;
An interview with master weaver Selena Petratrovich on Haida basket weaving;
An interview with Haida elder Woody Morrison on his traditional Haida upbringing;
An interview with Native leader Jon Borbridge on the early days of the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act;
Interviews with executives from Native corporations and Native organizations, including the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood;
Interviews on the history of the Gold Medal Basketball Tournament;
A discussion on the battle of Sitka in 1804 with Andy Hope and Dick and Nora Dauenhauer;
An interview with Haida elder Esther Nix on her belief in traditional food and medicine; and,
An interview with Louise Barton Dangeli on her life as a Tsimshian woman
This project was supported by a Digitizing Hidden Collections or Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources. The grant program is made possible by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. 

Browse the Collection

To browse the collection, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to the light blue box. Click on the down arrows to reveal the contents of each section and click on an item. In the grey box at the top of each page, click on the link under “related media” to listen to recordings. 

About Southeast Native Radio

Southeast Native Radio (SNR) was a radio program operated by KTOO FM radio from Juneau, Alaska, from 1985 to 2001. During the early 1980s, the idea of SNR was conceived by Arlene Dangeli, who realized few outlets existed for Alaska Natives to learn about their heritage. As a result, she set about creating a program that would address cultural issues and help all Native Alaskans take pride in their heritage. Dangeli garnished the support of KTOO to begin the program, organized a staff interested in Alaska Native issues and began broadcasting. SNR ran as hour-long segments which generally aired in the evenings. The producers of SNR would generally interview speakers live in studio or introduce speakers or musicians whose interviews had been prerecorded. SNR covered a wide variety of issues of concern to Alaska Natives from Southeast Alaska, primarily with a focus on Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures. Some of the issues addressed on SNR ranged from subsistence lifestyles, cultural revitalization, land claims and political issues of the day to more light-hearted topics such as performances by Native music groups. Overall, SNR was a strong and public voice for Alaska Native issues from 1985 to 2001.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com.

Captions: Top, part of the Southeast Native Radio Collection. Bottom, ceremony to transfer the collection from KTOO to SHI held in 2010. From left, back row: Kathy Ruddy, Cy Peck Jr., Kim Metcalfe, Mike Dangeli, Arlene Dangeli, Marlene Johnson, Bill Legere and Alice Taff. Front row: Ishmael Hope, Joaqlin Estus and Zachary Jones. Photos courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: News outlets are welcome to use these photos in association with coverage of this story.

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE IS ACCEPTING PROPOSALS FROM PRESENTERS FOR 2022 EDUCATION CONFERENCE

May 2, 2022

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) is accepting proposals from presenters for its fifth Culturally Responsive Education Conference, which is part of a larger effort to promote culturally responsive pedagogy in schools.

SHI is soliciting proposals from educators to present in person at 90-minute breakout sessions on topics related to literacy, language and oral stories, mental and physical wellbeing and intergenerational learning and sharing. SHI will be seeking 12 presenters who are interested in presenting to a live and virtual audience simultaneously.

This year’s theme is Haa Kusteeyí Yatsáakw (Our Way of Life Persists). Preference will be given to proposals that illustrate relevance to the theme, participant engagement, creativity, and demonstrated expertise, as well as to presentations that connect to culturally responsive education, equity in education and/or Alaska Native education issues.

The goals are to promote academic success of Native students and cross-cultural understanding, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“Evaluations and academic results have shown time and again that our children do better in school when their history and world view is incorporated into their education. Educators are the key to opening the door to a better education for our young people,”” Worl said.

The deadline to submit proposals is Sunday, June 10, 2022. The conference, scheduled Aug. 11-13 in Juneau, is open to all educators who are interested in culturally relevant education.

The conference is part of SHI’s education program Thru the Cultural Lens, which was founded in 2012 to give cultural orientations for educators. For more details about the conference, contact Ben Kriegmont at ben.kriegmont@sealaska.com.

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 Media and Publications Deputy Director, 907.321.4636, kathy.dye@sealaska.com