Deadlines:

• Dance group applications, March 22. Note: SHI will accept late dance group applications. Late applicants will be scheduled as time permits or placed on a waiting list. Late applicant members will not be eligible for the admission discount or be printed in the program.  Contact Yarrow Vaara at 907-586-9228 or yarrow.vaara@sealaska.com

• Dance group registration, April 25.

• Juried Art Show and Competition applications, extended to April 11. Contact Mariana Goodwin at 907-364-5290 or mariana.moreno-goodwin@sealaska.com. Eight awards will be given for top traditional and contemporary Native art.

• Native Artist Market applications, extended to April 15. Contact Mariana Goodwin at 907-364-5290 or mariana.moreno-goodwin@sealaska.com. Fee of $125 to register and to reserve space for three days.

• Toddler Regalia Review applications, May 2. Contact Sarah Dybdahl at 907-586-9234. Children ages 2 to 4 are eligible.
  ________________________________________________________________________

SHI will sponsor the next Celebration June 5-7, 2008, in Juneau. The theme is Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian: Dancing on the Land, said SHI President Rosita Worl, noting the institute plans to release a book identifying Native place names across the region. The institute also is planning to release a book featuring photos of dancers and their regalia at Celebration, a biennial dance and culture festival.

The festival likely will include new activities highlighting traditional Native foods, including contests for the best red ribbon seaweed and the best soapberries.

“The world is realizing how healthy traditional Native foods truly are,” said Worl, citing recent clamor for wild, Alaska salmon and Southeast blueberries, deemed a super-food by some researchers. “We already sponsor a black seaweed contest during Celebration. We want to add other contests so our young people learn more about other traditional foods.”

The institute also plans to hold its second, biennial Baby Regalia Review since the first review proved popular during Celebration 2006.

“The very young children had a hard time during the review, though, so we’ll limit the age range to 2-4 years,” said Worl.

The Yakutat Mt. St. Elias Dancers were chosen to lead Celebration, an honor given to one group each festival.

Celebration is a festival of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribal members organized every two years by SHI. Since it began in 1982, it has grown into one of the largest events in the state.

SHI is a Native nonprofit established in 1981 to administer educational and cultural programs for Sealaska, a regional Native corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The institute’s mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures.