Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

BABY RAVEN READS VOLUME TO BE ALASKA’S FEATURED CHILDREN’S BOOK AT NATIONAL EVENT

Shanyáak’utlaaX̱: Salmon Boy to represent state at National Book Festival

Sept. 13, 2021

The Alaska Center for the Book has singled out Sealaska Heritage Institute’s (SHI) Baby Raven Reads book Shanyáak’utlaaX̱: Salmon Boy as the state’s featured children’s book at this year’s National Book Festival.

The festival, which is sponsored by the Library of Congress, is an annual literary event in Washington, DC, that brings together best-selling authors and thousands of book fans for author talks, panel discussions, book signings and other activities. Every year the National Book Festival also hosts the Parade of States where each state is represented by a state library, a state center for the book or humanities organization which showcases a local book or author. Because of COVID, this year’s event will be virtual.

The board of directors chose Shanyáak’utlaaX̱: Salmon Boy in part because it particularly fits this year’s theme, “Open a Book, Open the World,” said board member Sue Sherif.

“We feel like Shanyáak’utlaaX̱ will open some new doors for kids and parents in the rest of the country,” Sherif said.

Shanyáak’utlaax: Salmon Boy is a bilingual children’s story that teaches about respect for nature, animals and culture. It comes from an ancient Tlingit story that was edited by Johnny Marks, Hans Chester, David Katzeek and Nora and Richard Dauenhauer. This book is part of the award-winning Baby Raven Reads, a Sealaska Heritage program for Alaska Native families with children up to age 5 that promotes early language development and school readiness. Twenty-nine books have been published through the program since 2016.

SHI President Rosita Worl called it an honor to represent Alaska on a national stage.

“We developed our Baby Raven Reads series so Native children would see themselves accurately mirrored in literature, but we also know non-Native students read them. This recognition underscores our parallel goal to promote cross-cultural understanding on a national level,” Worl said.

The book was illustrated by Tlingit artist Michaela Goade, and in 2018, it won the American Indian Youth Literature Best Picture Book Award from the American Indian Library Association. An expanded version of the story featuring audio in Tlingit and Goade’s illustrations is available on SHI’s YouTube channel. Goade in 2021 won the Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in another children’s book.

The 2021 National Book Festival is scheduled Sept. 17-26.

The Alaska Center for the Book, a 501c3 nonprofit corporation, was founded in 1991 to stimulate public interest in literacy throughout Alaska through the spoken and written word. The center is affiliated with the national Center for the Book, which has a presence in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These Center for the Book affiliates carry out the national Center’s mission in their local areas, sponsor programs that highlight their area’s literary heritage and call attention to the importance of books, reading, literacy and libraries. The center also honors people and institutions through its annual Contributions to Literacy in Alaska (CLIA) Awards.

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: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com.

Caption: Cover of “Salmon Boy: Shanyáak’utlaax” courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Note: News outlets are welcome and encouraged to use these photos for coverage of this story. For higher-resolution images, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE TO SPONSOR LECTURE ON OLD TRAVEL ROUTES BETWEEN ALASKA, CANADA

Free event to be offered virtually, in-person

Aug. 11, 2021

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a free lecture next week on old travel routes between northern Southeast Alaska and Canada.

Through the lecture, Trails from Long Ago: the Deishu-Chilkat Trail to the Yukon, Tim Ackerman of the L’uknax.ádi clan will give an overview of trails in Chilkat/Chilkoot country that lead into the Yukon and served as important trade routes for the Tlingit people.

Ackerman, who grew up in Chilkat/Chilkoot country in the Haines and Skagway area, has devoted many years to conducting research on the trails and documenting the routes through first-hand observation as well as through oral history.

“I have spent the past 15-20 years researching and re-tracing these routes, combined with collecting oral history in the United States and Canada. I have travelled along the trails from both directions and will show photos of the existing trails, including the intersection as the Chilkat Trail approaches Kusawa Lake (Yukon Territory) where it connects with trails that go to Carcross, Champaign, or continues along the Talkini River to Kusawa Lake and finally to Dawson,” he wrote.

The lecture is scheduled at 12 pm, Wednesday, Aug. 17, in the clan house at Sealaska Heritage Institute. A question-and-answer session will follow. SHI will livestream the lecture on its YouTube channel. 

About the Lecturer

Ackerman was born in Skagway and spent his youth in Haines and throughout Southeast Alaska. In his youth, he was a stream surveyor for the Alaska Fish and Game Department mapping all the streams in the Chilkat Valley and along the Chilkoot River. From the early 1980s to 2005 he worked for the Port of Juneau in numerous positions, eventually serving as a maritime security officer and, after 9/11, on the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In 2009, he joined Tlingit artist Wayne Price in hosting a canoe camp on the Yukon River for at-risk youth from Whitehorse, from which the film “Dugout” was made.  During winter months, he hunts seals and sends them to the Alaska Native Hospital in Anchorage which provides seal meat to their patients from around the state. He carries the name “Stranger from the North” and brings that heritage to life in his travels to and from the interior.

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: Area where the Takhini and the Chilkat River route meet Kusawa Lake. Note: news outlets are welcome to use this image for coverage of this story. Photo courtesy of Tim Ackerman. For a higher-res version, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SHI’S “TEACHER OF DISTINCTION” AWARD GOES TO AN ANCHORAGE EDUCATOR

Honor given during SHI’s 2021 education conference

Aug. 9, 2021

Anchorage teacher Seralee Kairaiuak was honored with a 2021 “Teacher of Distinction” award by Sealaska Heritage Institute’s (SHI) Board of Trustees on Saturday during SHI’s virtual education conference.

Originally from the village of Kwigillingok, Kairaiuak has taught children at the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School for the past nine years. Kairaiuak, who was nominated for the award by her peers at the school, is known for sharing her love for the Yup’ik culture and language through her storytelling, traditional cooking, harvesting and dance.

“Ms. Kairaiuak embodies ‘each person is good,’ and it shows in her engagement with families, students, staff and the greater community,” wrote one person who nominated her for the award. “Through love, humor and honesty, she embodies what it means to be a true guiding force in culturally-infused education, and she makes it look effortless. If you see her in action, it is clear that she teaches from her heart and hands… She walks with the wisdom of her elders, the education from her scholarly studies, and her love for children, as our future generation.”

“Seralee is the type of teacher we all hope to have. She is the epitome of the type of educator we hope to foster through teacher programs funded through Sealaska Heritage,” said SHI President Rosita Worl. “We are thrilled and honored to present to her this well-deserved award.”

Kairaiuak, speaking by video, told educators at SHI’s annual Culturally Responsive Education Conference on Saturday that she was humbled and grateful for the recognition.

“We focus on the understanding that each person and their history is valuable,” said Kairaiuak, who also credited her peers for the school’s successes. “We are grounded in the why of what we do, and our why is our students’ their identity and feeling valued. We use our Native values to root our students and set them up for a lifetime of growth in whatever career path they choose.”

The award came through Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS), a scholarship program at the University of Alaska Southeast that is funded by SHI. The award comes with a $3,000 prize, which will go to the Alaska Native Cultural Charter School.

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: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com; Seralee Kairaiuak, teacher of distinction,  kairaiuak_seralee@asdk12.org.

Caption: Teacher of Distinction award winner Seralee Kairaiuak. Photo courtesy of Seralee Kairaiuak.  For higher resolution image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE TO CONDUCT TRADITIONAL CEREMONY

Aug. 9, 2021

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will hold a traditional ceremony in Juneau this week to destroy certain retail items in accordance with Tlingit law and cultural protocol. 

The ceremony is scheduled at 2 pm, Friday, Aug. 13, tentatively in front of Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Walter Soboleff Building at 105 S. Seward St., in Juneau. A portion of Seward Street in front of the building will be closed to through traffic during the ceremony.

However, if the forecast of torrential rain prevails, the ceremony will be held at Sandy Beach. A final decision on venue will be made on Wednesday.

Clan spokespersons are invited to attend. The event is also open to the community. The ceremony will be live streamed on SHI’s YouTube channel.

Sealaska 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. Sealaska also conducts social scientific and public policy research that promotes Alaska Native arts, cultures, history and education statewide. Sealaska 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, kathy.dye@sealaska.com, 907.321.4636; Jacob Adams, SHI’s Attorney, jra@dumkelaw.com

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

USPS TO HOLD CEREMONY FOR RELEASE OF TLINGIT STAMP

Public, media is invited

July 28, 2021

The U.S. Postal Service on Friday, assisted by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI), will hold a release ceremony for the Raven Story Forever Stamp ‘  the first stamp ever illustrated by a Tlingit artist.

The artist, Rico Lanáat’ Worl, whose work was discovered by an art director for the Postal Service at the National Museum of the American Indian gift store in Washington, D.C., will attend the ceremony, along with Jakki Krage Strako, U.S. Postal Service chief commerce and business solutions officer and executive vice president; Marlene Johnson, chair, Sealaska Heritage Institute Board of Trustees; Beth Weldon, mayor of Juneau; and Frank Henry Kaash Katasse, playwright, actor, and educator. The ceremony will be moderated by Lance (X̱’unei) A. Twitchell, associate professor of Alaska Native Languages, University of Alaska Southeast. Members of the LukaaX̱.ádi and their clan children will dance.

The story behind the stamp will also be featured on the U.S. Postal Service Facebook and Twitter pages, posting at 5 p.m. ET on July 30, 2021. A pictorial postmark of the designated first-day-of-issue city, Juneau, is available at usps.com/shopstamps.

The ceremony is scheduled at 11 am, Friday, July 30, at SHI’s Walter Soboleff Building at 155 S. Seward St. in Juneau. The ceremony will be streamed live through SHI’s YouTube. The public is welcome to attend. 

About the Stamp

Merging traditional Northwest Coast artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast. Among the cultures of the region, Raven plays an essential role in many traditional tales, including stories about the creation of the world. Inspired by the traditional story of Raven setting free the sun, the moon and the stars, Worl depicted Raven just as he escapes from his human family and begins to transform back into his bird form.

“Many depictions of this story show Raven with the Sun in his mouth representing the stealing of the Sun. I was trying to showcase a bit of drama,” Worl said. “The climax of the story is after Raven has released the sun and the moon and has opened his grandfather’s final precious box, which contained the stars. In this design I am imagining Raven in a panicked state of escape ‘ transforming from human form to raven form and holding on to as many stars as he can while trying to escape the clan house.”

Worl called the depiction an exciting moment of humanity for Raven, who is a powerful being much of the time.

“I think it’s a moment we all feel at times. A moment before we accomplish a goal when we may feel frazzled and have trouble holding everything together in our hands, while trying to accomplish multiple goals at the same time. Even the greatest among us experience the moment that is on the cusp between accomplishment and failure.”

About the Artist

Rico Lanáat’ Worl is a Tlingit/Athabascan social designer and artist with training in anthropology.

His work began with the development of the arts department at Sealaska Heritage Institute, implementing programs to empower the Indigenous artists of Southeast Alaska. The programs focused on developing fundamental skills and access to resources. 

Through his current ongoing project, Trickster Company, he carries forward the goals of empowering Indigenous artists. Through this brand he works to celebrate Indigenous resilience and cross-cultural connection, break into a tourist market which profits millions of dollars from knock-off “Native” artwork, and represent the story of how Indigenous people are not only here today but engaged in modern lifestyles. 

These goals are also foundational in his work outside of the brand. His crafts range from product design, digital design, jewelry making, printmaking, public art and most recently he has been working to develop his skills in sculpture and computer-aided 3D design. 

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: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com; Rico Worl, 907.723.5536, rico.worl@trickstercompany.com; David P. Coleman, U.S. Postal Service Public Affairs Representative, david.p.coleman@usps.gov.

Captions: Invitation to “Raven Story” stamp release ceremony, courtesy of the United States Postal Service; “Raven Story” stamp designed by Rico Lanáat’ Worl, courtesy of the United States Postal Service; Rico Worl holding a sheet of “Raven Story” stamps, photo by Lyndsey Brollini, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Note: News outlets are welcome and encouraged to use these photos for coverage of this story. For higher-resolution images, contact amy.fletcher@sealaska.com

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEALASKA HERITAGE RELEASES VIDEO SERIES ON HOW TO MAKE TRADITIONAL HALIBUT HOOKS

Tutorials available for free on YouTube

July 19, 2021

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has produced and put online a video series that teaches how to make traditional northern Northwest Coast halibut hooks, known as náxw in Tlingit.

The series, led by Tlingit artist Héendei Donald Gregory, includes 21 videos ranging from 2-17 minutes in length that show detailed steps on the process. The series also includes an introduction to Tlingit halibut hooks, a video on the naming of the hooks, and tutorials on how to bait them.

The series is part of SHI’s effort to preserve the knowledge on how to make traditional art forms, especially those identified by artists as endangered during a Native artist gathering sponsored by the institute in 2015.

“Our ancestors were ingenious in their engineering of halibut hooks, which also had spiritual dimensions,” said SHI President Rosita Worl. “Traditional halibut hooks were sophisticated and designed to preserve the species in a way that modern hooks cannot. With this new series, we hope to preserve the knowledge on how to make these hooks for new generations.”

SHI has produced other free tutorials, including videos series on how to prepare and weave spruce roots, how to prepare materials for Chilkat, Ravenstail weaving, how to make dugout canoes and how to carve horn spoons. The institute is currently working on a book on how to make dugout canoes and a video series and manual on how to make box drums. 

About Halibut Hooks

The traditional northern Northwest Coast halibut hook is one of the most ingenious tools ever invented by the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian of Southeast Alaska. One of the most remarkable qualities of traditional halibut hooks, which were made of wood and affixed with a barb, is they were designed to catch only halibut. The hooks rarely, if ever, caught other species. The hooks also were engineered to harvest only medium-sized halibut, sparing smaller and younger fish and large, egg-laden females. This approach perpetuated the reproductive stock and prevented the depletion of the resource, making them more ecological than the modern steel hooks used today.

The hooks also were engineered to catch the fish in such a way that once on the line, they rarely escaped. Northwest Coast Native fishermen knew that halibut do not bite the hook, rather, they swim up to it and suck it into their mouths by expanding their gills, which creates a strong vacuum. When they try to expel it, the barb catches on soft tissue located in the corner of their mouth as they try to dislodge the hook. The hooks also were designed to flip the halibut belly-side-up when reeling them in’making them more docile and easier to land.

The hooks also had spiritual dimensions and were enhanced with carved designs representing the spiritual entities that interacted with the halibut.

In 2018, The Juneau Economic Development Council and the Alaska State Committee for Research (SCoR) inducted the traditional wood halibut hook into the SCoR Alaska Innovators Hall of Fame. SCoR created the program in 2014 to celebrate and honor outstanding individuals who put Alaska on the map as leaders in innovation and who contribute to Alaska’s growing culture of innovation.

For more information on halibut hooks, see SHI’s book Doing Battle with the Halibut People: The Tlingit, Haida, & Tsimshian Halibut Hook by SHI Culture and History Director Chuck Smythe, Ph.D.

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: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com.

Caption: Photo of Héendei Donald Gregory, instructor in the video series, by Brian Smale, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. For a higher-res image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

 

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Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

JUNEAU DATA, REPORT SHOW UPWARD TREND IN SCORES FOR ALASKA NATIVE STUDENTS

Report links higher scores to Baby Raven Reads program

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July 26, 2021

A research firm has produced a study that links an upward trend in scores for local Alaska Native students entering kindergarten to Baby Raven Reads, an early literacy program operated by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) since the 2015-2016 school year.

The report, Baby Raven Reads Impacts on Kindergarten Readiness, by the Alaska firm McKinley Research Group (formerly McDowell Group) found significant progress in early literacy skills among SHI’s Baby Raven Reads participants, who range in age from birth to age 5. That increase mirrors assessments compiled through the state’s Alaska Developmental Profile (ADP), which measures a child’s kindergarten-readiness.

“These findings show significant progress in early literacy skills and, thus, kindergarten readiness among Baby Raven Reads participants. They also suggest Baby Raven Reads is a likely contributor to the increase in ADP scores among Alaska Native children in Juneau,” the report found.

The McKinley report focused on changes in ADP results for Alaska Native students in Juneau from 2014-2015 ‘before Baby Raven Reads began’ through 2019-2020. Analysis was supplemented by evaluation data for Baby Raven Reads to further understand the program’s contributions toward ADP findings.

The report specifically focused on three of 13 areas analyzed by the ADP that were most closely associated with the goals of Baby Raven Reads: phonological awareness, awareness of print concepts and knowledge of letters and symbols (alphabet knowledge). 

ADP Assessments

Since Baby Raven Reads began, ADP data indicates that scores improved significantly for Juneau School District students who qualify for the Indian Studies Program, most of whom are Alaska Native (multi-ethnic students may also qualify). During the same period, ADP scores for all other students remained relatively static, the McKinley report found.

In 2014-2015, 25 percent of Alaska Native students consistently demonstrated phonetic knowledge compared to 52 percent of all other students, a 27 percent difference. By 2019-2020 ‘ five years after the launch of Baby Raven Reads ‘ 45 percent of Alaska Native students consistently demonstrated phonetic knowledge. Thus, the number of Alaska Native students consistently demonstrating phonetic awareness increased by 20 percent from 2014-2015 to 2019-2020, according to ADP results. During this time, the proportion of non-Alaska Native students consistently demonstrating phonetic knowledge decreased by 5 percent.

In 2014-2015, 27 percent of Alaska Native students consistently demonstrated awareness of print concepts, compared to 56 percent of all other students, a 29 percent difference. In 2019-2020, 33 percent of Alaska Native students consistently demonstrated awareness of print concepts, an increase of 6 percent since 2014-2015. During that period, scores for non-Alaska Native students decreased by 2 percent.

In 2014-2015, 29 percent of Alaska Native students consistently demonstrated alphabet knowledge, compared to 56 percent of all other students, a 27 percent difference. In 2019-2020, 39 percent of Alaska Native students consistently demonstrated alphabet knowledge, an increase of 10 percent. Non-Alaska Native student scores decreased by 1 percent during the same period, the report found.  
Baby Raven Reads Assessments

Baby Raven Reads assessments of participating children are standardized to include questions that parallel ADP kindergarten readiness goals, allowing for ready comparison of the program’s progress and ADP results.

Results from participant assessments within the Baby Raven Reads program mirror the wider ADP results for Alaska Native kindergarteners. The Baby Raven Reads Parent-Child Project Assessment asks caregivers to assess their child(ren) who are enrolled in the program for a set of skills and behaviors related to early literacy and social-emotional development, many of which reflect ADP goals.

Assessment results showed an increase in all eight skills and behaviors measured through Baby Raven Reads. These included:

a 26 percent increase in the frequency with which children in the program ask to be read to; a 20 percent increase in using words and gestures appropriately; and,
an 18 percent increase in recognition of letters and symbols.

Among early learning programs, Baby Raven Reads has the largest reach to Alaska Native children in Juneau. In 2020, Baby Raven Reads enrollment totaled 150, nearly one-quarter of the entire population of Alaska Native children in this age group in Juneau. Baby Raven Reads reaches an even wider audience in the community through distribution of books published through the program and through a partnership between Baby Raven Reads and the Juneau Head Start program, the study found.

Staff at SHI were thrilled to see the parallels between the ADP and Baby Raven Reads assessments, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“We know our families love Baby Raven Reads. We know our children are reading more and learning to love books,” Worl said. “Now we know the program is having a significant impact on our children’s school readiness, which will help pave the way for their achievement in academics and in life.”

About Baby Raven Reads

Baby Raven Reads is an award-winning SHI program that promotes a love of learning through culture and community. The program is for families with Alaska Native children up to age 5 throughout Southeast Alaska. Among other things, events include family nights where families are invited to join us for storytelling, songs and other cultural activities. Participants also receive free books and literacy kits through the program. SHI also publishes culturally-relevant children’s books through Baby Raven Reads.

The program is based on ample research that has shown that Alaska Native students do better academically when culturally relevant content is incorporated into learning materials and classes.

In recognition of SHI’s success in applying research-validated practices to promote literacy through Baby Raven Reads, the Library of Congress selected the program for its 2017 Best Practice Honoree award, making it one of only 15 programs in the world to receive the honor that year.

In 2018, the American Indian Library Association (AILA) chose SHI’s book Shanyaak’utlaaX̱: Salmon Boy for its American Indian Youth Literature Best Picture Book Award, and in January 2020 it gave Raven Makes the Aleutians an AILA Picture Book Honor award. The Baby Raven Reads program was also one of five recipients in the state chosen for the 2020 Contributions to Literacy in Alaska award given by the Alaska Center for the Book.

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: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com; Kirsten Shelton, McKinley Research Group consultant, kshelton@mckinleyresearch.com. 

Captions: Baby Raven Reads book distribution event by Nobu Koch, courtesy of SHI; table from report showing Baby Raven Reads assessments. For higher resolution images, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SEATTLE MAN DONATES OLD SPRUCE-ROOT BASKET TO SHI

Piece dates back more than 100 years

July 14, 2021

A Seattle man has donated an exquisite spruce-root basket to Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) that dates back more than 100 years.

Donor Richard Zahniser, now in his 90s, purchased the piece in Southeast Alaska or Anchorage in the 1970s and decided to donate it to SHI this year to make it accessible to the public and weaving students.

“We wanted this special basket to be a permanent part of Sealaska Heritage InstituteΓÇÖs collection where it will be protected and preserved and studied and enjoyed by future generations,” Zahniser said.

The basket, which measures 4 inches by 4 inches, has a tag on the bottom that reads “1906.” The maker of the piece is not known.

“The basket is a treasure that is in extraordinary condition, and that is a testament to the effort Mr. Zahniser made to preserve it while it was in his care. We are elated to add it to our ethnographic collection where it will be studied by art students for many years to come,” said SHI President Rosita Worl.

SHI is planning to exhibit donated items in a dedicated space.  

About Spruce-Root Basketry

Spruce-root basketry is a difficult and time consuming ancient art practice developed by the Tlingit and Haida people of the Northwest Coast. Artists first collect spruce roots from the forest, char them in fire and split them into small threads. The gathering and processing of the roots is an arduous task that can take many days or longer to complete. Spruce-root weaving is one of the more time-consuming art forms because the materials are so delicate and fine, and it takes a significant amount of roots to make a small basket. Native people became so skilled in this practice they were able to make spruce-root baskets so tightly woven they held water. Spruce-root weaving today is considered to be endangered, but in recent years, artists – most notably the master Haida weaver Delores Churchill – have revitalized the art form, and Churchill’s students are now teaching it to others.

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: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com; Julie Zahniser, daughter of donor, 720.320.4294, mjzahniser@gmail.com.

Caption: Photo of basket by Lyndsey Brollini, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. For a higher-res image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN ALASKA NATIVE STUDIES WINS JUDSON BROWN SCHOLARSHIP

Program honors students with academic achievement, leadership skills

July 2, 2021

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has chosen a Ph.D. candidate with a focus on ethnomathematics as the recipient of its 2021 Judson L. Brown Leadership Award.

The scholarship was given to Tlingit Eldri Waid Westmoreland, who holds a master’s degree in mathematics education and is pursuing her doctorate in American Indian and Alaska Native studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The $5,000 awards go to students who have demonstrated academic achievement and leadership skills, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“Eldri stood out as a top candidate because of the multiple leadership positions she has held and her passion for weaving Native cultures into classrooms. She, and others like her, are forging the path toward incorporating the Native world view into schools for the benefit of all students,” Worl said.

Five years ago, Westmoreland was teaching in the Juneau School District and serving on multiple committees, including panels on Alaska Native curriculum and teacher evaluations. Over the years, she continued to observe a strong disconnect between classroom instruction and student experiences outside of the classroom. That led her to pursue her master’s degree in mathematics education.

“Through that journey, I began to address the question asked by students and families over my two decades in education: ‘Why do I need to learn this math? I don’t use it in my daily life!'” she wrote.

She earned her master’s degree in ten months and led research on connections between mathematics instruction, real-life experiences and quality children’s literature.

“I discovered that students increased their joy and confidence in math when it connected to their stories,” Westmoreland wrote. “I embrace our Tlingit value of Haa Shuka’ by learning from the wisdom of our ancestors in my education and research today in order to continue our ways of knowing for future generations.”

Chris and Mary McNeil established the scholarship fund in 2006 in honor of Chris’ uncle, Tlingit leader Judson Lawrence Brown, who was the first Chair of the Sealaska Heritage Foundation, now known as the Sealaska Heritage Institute, and a forceful advocate for education and leadership development. The endowment is administered by Sealaska Heritage Institute.  

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: Amy Fletcher, SHI Media and Publications Director, 907.586.9116, amy.fletcher@sealaska.com; Eldri Westmoreland, eldriwest@gmail.com.

Caption: Photo courtesy of Eldri Waid Westmoreland (pictured)

 

Sealaska Heritage Institute Press Release

SHI KETCHIKAN EDUCATOR WINS SHI’S “TEACHER OF DISTINCTION” AWARD

Honor given during SHI’s 2022 Culturally Responsive Education Conference

Aug. 12, 2021

A Ketchikan teacher was honored with the 2022 “Teacher of Distinction” award by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) today during SHI’s Culturally Responsive Education Conference.

Teresa Dl’a Gwa T’awaa Varnell, a teacher and cultural coordinator for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, is also the lead facilitator and teacher of SHI’s Through the Cultural Lens program, which seeks to integrate Native cultures into schools through extensive orientations and an annual conference with educators.

Varnell was a solid candidate for the award because of her ability to lead challenging conversations with Native and non-Native educators in a safe and respectful manner, said SHI President Rosita Worl.

“Teresa’s ability to guide conversations among educators on Native cultural values, societal structures, intergenerational trauma and the history of boarding schools has helped us open an important dialog,” Worl said. “These conversations can be challenging and uncomfortable, but she has helped create a community where people feel safe delving into these topics.”

Her work also enables teachers to take the next step in professional development towards cultural relevancy and place-based practices.

“When one drops a pebble in a still pond the ripples cross to every part of the pond. Dl’a Gwa T’awaa has dropped the proverbial pebble in Ketchikan and in other Southeast Alaskan communities,” wrote one person who nominated her for the award, “and the result is that the teachers she works with are now having an impact on their colleagues as they go back to their schools and classrooms… her impact is felt by countless students.”

Varnell accepted the award on the main stage today.

“I am not the one accepting this honor; this honor belongs to my ancestorsΓǪand to the future generations who will do this work,” Varnell said.

Varnell attended Haskell Indian Nations University and completed her bachelor’s degree in education at the University of Alaska, Southeast.

Her grandmother is the world-renowned master Haida basket weaver Delores Churchill, and every woman in Varnell’s family is a teacher of weaving or a language learner.  

Varnell was trained in traditional Haida ways; those principles and values remain the core of her everyday life and shape her passion, perspectives and beliefs about modern education. 

The award came through Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS), a scholarship program at the University of Alaska Southeast that is funded by SHI. The honor comes with a $4,000 award, which will go to the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District. Varnell is a graduate of the PITAAS program.

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: Varnell at the podium accepting SHI’s Teacher of Distinction award today at the institute’s Culturally Responsive Education Conference in Juneau. In back, from left: Irene Dundas and Ronalda Cadiente Brown, M.A., associate vice chancellor for Alaska Native Programs and director of PITAAS. Photo by Stacy Unzicker, courtesy of Sealaska Heritage Institute. Note: media outlets are welcome to use this photo for coverage of this story. For a higher-res image, contact kathy.dye@sealaska.com