Sealaska - Celebration - Celebration 2008 - Soapberry

First Place
Louise Gordon

Second Place
Doris McLean

Third Place
Evanne Katasse-Roberts

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In the News:

Native women whip up soapberries, fond memories

Whipping up soapberries
John Ryan, KTOO-FM
The translucent red berries known as soapberries... are tiny, bitter, and soapy to the touch. But in the right hands, soapberries can be whipped into a frothy treat. At Southeast Alaska's largest Native gathering, women from Alaska and northern Canada competed to make the tastiest version of the rare delicacy. John Ryan reports from the first-ever soapberry contest at Celebration...(Listen)

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WINNERS OF FIRST SOAPBERRY CONTEST, SEAWEED THROWDOWN ANNOUNCED

Louise Gordon Two people have taken top prizes for traditional-food contests at Celebration 2008.

For the second Celebration in a row, Ivan Williams of Angoon won first place in the biennial black seaweed contest. Louise Gordon of Atlin, British Columbia, took first place in the institute’s first soapberry contest. Experience played a large role in the award-winning soapberry entry, Gordon said.

“You start at a slow speed with a beater. And then as the berries get thicker, you keep turning up the speed, and then you add your sugar at the same speed. And it just comes with experience,” Gordon said.

Other soapberry winners included Doris McLean, who won second place, and Evanne Katasse-Roberts, who took third place.

Second place for black seaweed went to Marian Adams, who won first place in 2004. Adams says her recipe is simple and the important thing is to dry seaweed soon after harvest.

“I just use clam juice. I think dry8ing is the most important – how you dry it. How you dry your seaweed – right away,” said Adams, who is originally from Kake and lives in Juneau.

Third place went to C. Adams, Jr.

Evanne Katasse-Roberts SHI awarded the top three winners $500, $250 and $100. The institute sponsors the contests to introduce young people to traditional Native foods and to highlight the health benefits of traditional Native cuisine.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private, nonprofit founded in 1980 to administer cultural and educational programs for Sealaska Corporation. The institute is governed by an all-Native Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.

CONTACT: Rosita Worl, SHI president, 907-463-4844

Radio Actualities

Louise Gordon, Soapberry Contest winner, TRT: :18 “You start at a slow speed with a beater. And then as the berries get thicker, you keep turning up the speed, and then you add your sugar at the same speed. And it just comes with experience.” (mpeg) (wav)
Marian Adams, Second Place, Black Seaweed Contest, TRT: :10 “I just use clam juice. I think drying is the most important – how you dry it. How you dry your seaweed – right away.” (mpeg) (wav)

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Sealaska Heritage Institute will sponsor its first soapberry contest during Celebration 2008. Awards for first ($500), second ($250) and third ($100) place. (Entry Form & Rules)

Awards will be given for first ($500), second ($250) and third ($100) place.

Soapberries are considered a rare treat among Native people and often are served at ceremonial gatherings. The small, red-orange, translucent berries usually are found near glaciers. The bushes vary in growth habit – in Miranda Belarde Lewis froths soapberries by hand at a T’akdeintaan Ku.éex in Hoonah, 1998. Klukwan, the branches fall over and lay on the ground whereas they stand tall in Glacier Bay. Soapberries are tiny, so people harvest the berries by beating the branches with their hand or a stick over a bucket. The berries fall into the bucket with this method, allowing for significant harvests in a short period of time.

To prepare, a small amount of berries is mixed with water and whipped into a froth. Soapberries are very bitter, so people often add sweeteners, such as chopped apples and bananas or they whip the berries with juice from fruit cocktail instead of water. It’s very important to keep the berries free of oil, as it will affect the frothing. People whip soapberries in a very clean bowl made of metal or glass (plastic is not recommended).

Historically, people whipped soapberries with their hands or with a wooden whisk. The whisk was made by shaving sections of wood toward the end of a stick and stopping before the shavings fell off. Today, Native people sometimes still use their hands to froth soapberries served at ceremonies, although it’s now more common to use an electric mixer.

Soapberries may be harvested when they are green or red, and some people prefer to eat them green. The froth of green soapberries appears white, while red soapberries produce a pink color.

Compiled from information provided by Nora Dauenhauer, Johnny Marks, Anita Lafferty, Helen Sarabia, Margaret Martin and June Pegues.

Soapberry Names
Tlingit	Haida	Tsimshian	Scientific
Xákwl'ee	Xaptl'íit	Ash	Shepherdia Canadensis