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)

Celebration to Kick Off Next Week
SHI will kick off its biennial Celebration next week, marking the 26^th 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)