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Celebration 2008

Dance Groups

Juried Art Show

Native Artist Market

Seaweed Contest

Soapberry Contest

Toddler Regalia Review

Artists' Gathering

Sponsors

Volunteers

Memorial Donations

Grand Entrance & Parade Information

Canoeing Events

Photo Policy

Travel & Accommodations

Press Releases


 


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Celebration 2008 (June 5-7)   

News Articles
Native women whip up soapberries, fond memories
Youth light up cultural festival
Photos: Celebration 2008
Natives give DNA samples to see if they match ancient remains
Saliva samples could reveal ancient Alaskan's descendants
Photo: Grand entrance
Lead group unveils new dance today
Photo: Carving culture
Artist weaves Native values into baskets
Photo: Traditional display
Celebrate award-winning Native artists on First Friday
Juneau's Natives Welcome Guests

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) (Watch video of the soapberry contest)

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Schedule of events, lectures and workshops

Winners of Sealaska Juried Art Show Announced
Six artists have taken top awards at the fourth Sealaska Juried Art Competition in Juneau for best contemporary and traditional Native art...(more) (Radio Actualities)

Empire Publishes Special Section
The Juneau Empire has compiled a special section with a lot of information about Celebration 2008. This is a great multi-media resource loaded with information, audio and photos of Celebration and the special events associated with the festival. (Empire Special Section)

SHI Releases First Photo Book of Celebration
SHI will release its first coffee-table style photo book of Celebration during the 2008 festival, scheduled June 5-7. The hardcover book Celebration: Tlingit Haida Tsimshian Dancing on the Land will feature color and black-and-white images from the first Celebrations to the present. Most of the photos were taken by the noted photographer Bill Hess and have never been published...(more) (Radio Actualities) (Photo)

Mt. Saint Elias Dancers, the lead dance group for Celebration 2008. PHOTO BY BILL HESSCelebration to Kick Off Next Week
SHI will kick off its biennial Celebration next week, marking the 26th year since the inception of the popular dance-and-culture festival. The institute anticipates up to 5,000 people, including 52 dance groups and approximately 2,300 dancers from Alaska, Canada and the Lower 48, will attend Celebration 2008, held in Juneau at Centennial Hall, the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, and the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. SHI will announce winners of its biennial Juried Art Show and Competition on June 4. Dance performances and other events are scheduled June 5-7. The theme is “Tlingit, Haida Tsimshian Dancing on the Land.”
...(more) (Radio Actualities) (Schedule)

Celebration Makes List of 7 Alaska Things to Put on Your Life List
Read the story compiled by the Anchorage Daily News (News Article)

Entry Form and Rules for Soapberry Contest Now Posted Online
(Entry Form & Rules)

SHI To Sponsor DNA Tests to Find Descendants of 10,300 Year Old Man
Remains of ancient man are the oldest ever found in Alaska and Canada
SHI will sponsor DNA testing during Celebration 2008 to determine if a young Native man who lived 10,300 years ago has living descendants in Southeast Alaska. Information from the DNA samples will be compared to DNA extracted from the remains, which were discovered by a paleontologist in 1996 in a cave on Prince of Wales Island. Studies authorized by local tribes linked the remains to Native people living in areas from California to South America, said SHI President Rosita Worl. SHI’s Council of Traditional Scholars and its Celebration Committee authorized the DNA study to determine if he is related to Southeast Alaska Natives, she said...(more)

Grand Entrance Assembly Area Modified
This year people will assemble behind the ANB Hall instead of in front of it for the Grand Entrance. Village Street behind the hall will be closed to traffic to accommodate pedestrians...(more)

TV Coverage of Celebration to Move to UATV
KTOO is bumping the Celebration broadcast from the Gavel-to-Gavel channel to the UATV channel. This is because the Legislature is convening for a special session, and legislative coverage takes priority over any other coverage on the Gavel-to-Gavel channel. The UATV channel is available on all the same communities statewide as the Gavel-to-Gavel channel. If you want to watch Celebration, please call your local cable station to make sure they pick up UATV (See channels and towns served by UATV).

Admission:
3-day pass
$25 (Adult)
$12 (Seniors and Students)

1-day pass
$10 (Adult)
$5 (Seniors and Students)

People who volunteer at least four hours get a free one-day pass to Celebration.

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.
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2008 theme
 

Tlingit



dancing on the land

Tl'átk'i kaa s ayl'eix
 
Haida
 
Tlagáay úngkw ga xyáahls
 
Tsimshian Meelgm da lack yuub