McNeils Endow New Scholarship Fund in Honor of Tlingit Leader
Chris McNeil, Jr., and his wife, Mary, have donated $100 thousand to Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) to endow a new scholarship fund. The fund, named in honor of the late Tlingit leader Judson Lawrence Brown, will support the college education and leadership development of Sealaska shareholders and their descendants, said Chris McNeil, president and CEO of Sealaska...(more)

SHI to Co-Host Symposium, Dinner for Alaska and Canada Haidas
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will co-host a nine-day language symposium for Alaska and Canada Haidas in Ketchikan and Hydaburg this month. The event, which kicks off Tuesday, May 2, is the second such event between Alaskan and Canadian Haidas. The first event was in the summer of 2005, in the Haida communities of Massett and Skidegate in British Columbia, Canada...(more) (Print Schedule)

Interactive Teaching Tools Inspire Native Clothing Line
SHI will include CD-ROMs of two interactive language tools with select t-shirts during Celebration. People who buy SHI's salmon t-shirt and critters t-shirt will also receive CDs, which feature the same imagery as the shirts...(more) (News Article)

New Interactive Tlingit Language Tool Added to Web
SHI has posted another interactive language learning tool in its online language resources section. The My House tool teaches Tlingit phrases for common household items in an interactive environment. Learn the Tlingit words in this highly interactive environment, then take an online quiz! (Print word list) (Download Flash Player) (News Article)

Alaska Airlines Offers Discount on Airfare for Celebration
Alaska Airlines has announced it will offer a 10% discount on airfare to people attending Celebration 2006, scheduled June 1-3. The discount applies to travel from May 27 to June 8, 2006...(more)

SHI Kicks Off Canoe Carving Class
SHI sponsored a canoe carving class in Hoonah in 2006 as part of its Hoonah Arts Program. The class was taught by Native artist Doug Chilton. The program is funded through a three-year grant from the Administration for Native Americans. (Photos)

Juneau residents build a replica of a centuries-old fish trap found in 1989
This project was co-sponsored by SHI and Sealaska Corp...(News Article)

New Interactive Tlingit Language Tool Added to Web
SHI has posted another interactive language learning tool in its online language resources section. The Birds tool teaches users 10 Tlingit words for birds common to Southeast Alaska. Learn the Tlingit words in this interactive environment, then take an online quiz! (Print word list) (Download Flash Player) (News Article)

Students Celebrate Completion of Tlingit Panels
Auke Bay Elementary School Students celebrated the completion of two painted Tlingit panels that will be hung at the Auke Bay Shelter in 2006. The panels honor the shark and dog salmon people of the Auk Kwáan clans. SHI sponsored the project, which included instruction from artist Donald Gregory and designs from artist Steve Brown...(News Photo)

Tlingit Christmas Phrases Online
SHI has posted a list of Tlingit Christmas Phrases on its language resources section. Sigóowu Kíswas! Sigóowu Yées Táakw!

SHI Wraps Art Fair
SHI held its 9th annual Native art market in Juneau Nov. 2-3. The art market is held at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum in conjunction with the annual Juneau Gallery Walk. Several artists sold and demonstrated their work, which included silver and beaded and woven art. The institute sponsors the fair every year as part of its Native art program. (News Article)

New Interactive Tlingit Language Tool Added to Web
SHI has posted another interactive language learning tool in its online language resources section. The Classroom tool teaches users 24 Tlingit words and phrases, including words for pencil, floor, table, light and chair. Learn the Tlingit words in this interactive environment, then take an online quiz! (Print word list) (Download Flash Player) (News Article)

SHI Posts Collection of Historical Photos Online
In its most ambitious archival project to date, Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has posted a large collection of historical photos on the Internet. The project, funded through a grant from the Institute of Museums and Library Services, is an effort to make the images accessible to the public while protecting the originals from the damage caused by repeated handling. The site, located at www.sealaskaheritage.org/photoarchive, so far features 540 photos, including some of the first Celebration, now in its 23^rd year...(more)

New Interactive Tlingit Language Tool Added to Web
SHI has posted another interactive language learning tool in its online language resources section. The Ocean Animals tool teaches users 14 Tlingit words and phrases, including words for Humpback Whale, Seal, Blue Whale and Herring. Learn the Tlingit words in this interactive environment, then take an online quiz! (Print word list) (Download Flash Player) (News Article)

New Interactive Tlingit Language Tool Added to Web
SHI has posted another interactive language learning tool in its online language resources section. The Critters tool teaches users 31 Tlingit words and phrases, including words for Brown Bear, Beaver, Thunderbird, Halibut, Frog, Wolf, Killerwhale, Raven and Eagle. Learn the Tlingit words in this interactive environment, then take an online quiz! (Print word list) Download Flash Player) (News Article)

SHI Receives Grant to Digitize Historical Documents
SHI has received a two-year grant to digitize a large collection of historical documents donated to the institute by Southeast Alaska Native leaders. The collection includes documents tracing the Alaska Native Land Claims Settlement Act, the Native civil rights movement and political activities of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood. “They offer us an opportunity to look at events from a Native point of view. Too often our historical accounts are from other-than the Native point of view,” said SHI President Rosita Worl...(more)

Sealaska Heritage to Co-Sponsor Free Haida Classes
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) and the University of Alaska Southeast are sponsoring Haida courses in Juneau. The three-week course taught by SHI Linguist Jordan Lachler is scheduled from 6-9:30 pm, Oct. 17-21, Nov. 7-11 and Dec. 12-16. The 52.5-hour program is free to anyone who wants to learn Haida. Students who want to earn four academic credits must enroll in AKL 108 and regular UAS charges will apply...(more) (News Article)

Old Tunic Makes Stop in Juneau on Way Home
An old Chilkat Brown Bear tunic repatriated by the Klukwan Kaagwaantaan made a stop in Juneau today on its way home. Sealaska Heritage Institute held a reception for the tunic, Kaagwaantaan Clan Leader Joe Hotch and other Kaagwaantaans. The institute repatriated the clan treasure from the Phoebe Hearst Museum in California on behalf of the Kaagwaantaan...(more) (Radio Actuality) (News Article)

Old Chilkat Tunic to be Repatriated to Klukwan Clan
Sealaska Heritage Institute to Attempt Removal of Contaminants
A California museum next week will return an old Chilkat Brown Bear tunic to the Kaagwaantaan Clan in Klukwan. Sealaska Heritage Institute repatriated the tunic from the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology on behalf of the clan, which considers it a clan treasure and ceremonial property or at.óow. “It’s important that it comes back to the clan,” said Joe Hotch, Klukwan Kaagwaantaan Clan Leader. “It means strength to those who receive anything that belonged to our ancestors.” However, tests and records show the tunic is contaminated with DDT, mercury and arsenic, said SHI President Rosita Worl, noting curators years ago used pesticides and other hazardous substances to protect objects from insects, rodents and decay...(more) (Radio Actuality) (News Article)

SHI Accepting Applications from Artists for Native Arts and Crafts Fair
SHI will sponsor its 11^th annual Native Arts and Crafts Fair in December to give Native artists a winter venue to sell and promote their handmade art work. The two-day fair, held during the popular Juneau Gallery Walk, will be at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, 4-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 and noon-5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. The museum, a co-sponsor of the event, is located at 4^th and Main streets. Artists who want to participate should contact the institute at 463-4844. The deadline to submit an application is Nov. 15. The fee is $25 per artist.

New Photo Albums Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! These 11 new albums feature mostly black-and-white photos of cultural objects from the mid 1900s. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben! (The photo collection of William Paul, Jr. and the artwork of Ben Paul will show at the Upstairs Gallery at the Capitol Hill U-Frame-It, 1822 Broadway, Seattle Washington Oct. 7-Nov. 11, 2005)

New Photo Albums Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! These five new albums feature mostly black-and-white photos of cultural objects from the mid 1900s. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Production of Salmon Boy Play Wraps
SHI co-sponsored a summer theater program with Juneau's Perseverance Theatre. The Summer Theatre Arts Rendezvous (STAR) is a great 5-week program for youth ages 10-17 who are serious about the theatre. The play was of Moldy End or Salmon Boy, a traditional story. The play was performed at the University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau Campus. (Photos)

New Photo Albums Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! These five new albums feature mostly black-and-white photos of cultural objects from the mid 1900s. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Sealaska Shareholders Invited to House Post Finishing and Weaving Event in Seattle
All Sealaska shareholders and their descendants are invited to the unveiling ceremony of two new Tlingit house posts. The posts, created by Nathan Jackson and his son Stephen Jackson, will be on permanent display at the Burke Museum. The ceremony is scheduled 3:30-5 p.m. followed by a reception. RSVP by Aug. 25 @ 206-543-9539. Space is limited, reservations required. Sealaska Heritage Institute co-sponsored the Totem Pole Project...(more) (Photos)

SHI Posts Interactive Language Learning Tool
SHI has posted an interactive language learning tool in its online language resources section. The tool is called Héen Táak, which means the "bottom of a body of water" in Tlingit. Learn the Tlingit words for Alaska's five salmon species, halibut, rock, sand and kelp in this interactive environment, then take an online quiz! (News Article)

SHI Hosts Webcast of Totem Project
SHI is hosting a live webcam on its website showing master carvers Ray Peck and Jim Marks carving a totem pole. The web venture will mark the first time the institute has broadcast a Native art project live on the Internet, said Dr. Rosita Worl, president of the institute...(more) (Radio Actualities) Click here to see webcam, then click "login" (Java software required. Click here for free download) (News Article) (News Photo) (Project ended in early September)

SHI Wraps Summer Language Program in Juneau
SHI in August sponsored its annual Sealaska Kusteeyi Program and a 10-day Latseen Leadership Training camp at the University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau campus. The Latseen camp was designed to provide engaging culturally-based education and activities for youth in support of their future academic and personal success with a focus on rigor, relevance, and relationships. The camp was attended by 46 youths: 20 were high school juniors and seniors from Southeast Alaska; 18 were enrolled in the Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Alaska Schools program and eight were interns at Sealaska Corporation. The camp included courses on Beginning Tlingit, Native Social Organization and Spirituality, math using Tlingit armor and physical education. (Photos) (News Article)

SHI Awarded Grant to Establish Dispute Resolution Process for Repatriation
Sealaska Heritage Institute has received a grant to establish a dispute-resolution process to resolve conflicts between clans over cultural objects. The 18-month grant for $70,000 from the National Park Service, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) program, also will fund development of a website to serve as a clearinghouse of information on repatriation activities in Southeast Alaska. SHI was directed to pursue the project in December by the Sealaska Council of Traditional Scholars, a panel of clan leaders and Elders who advise the institute on its language and culture programs. SHI will consult with the council and clan leaders throughout the region on the project...(more) (Radio Actualities)

SHI Wraps Tlingit Summer Camp in Juneau
Sealaska Heritage Institute wrapped a summer camp in Juneau for children enrolled in the Tlingit K-5 class at Harborview. The annual camps, also held in Klukwan, are funded through a three-year grant from the U.S. Dept. of Education. The goal is to ease students' transition into school and to improve language skills. Click here for more information on the successful Tlingit K-5 program in Juneau. (Photos) (News Article)

SHI Publishes Tlingit Phrasebook and CD
Sealaska Heritage Institute has produced a phrasebook and CD of commonly spoken Tlingit phrases as one of the institute’s multiple efforts to revitalize the endangered Native language. The phrasebook, Lingít X’éináx Áx! Hear it in Tlingit, was adapted from Lingít X’éináx Sá! Say it in Tlingit, which was published by SHI in 2002. However, the CD offers new phrases and topic areas and allows users to hear the words. “We decided we needed a mini phrasebook of the most commonly spoken phrases together with a CD so people can read it and also hear the sounds,” said Dr. Rosita Worl, president of SHI...(more) (Radio Actualities) (Shop)

New Photos Added to Totem Project Web
Totem carvers Nathan Jackson, Stephen Jackson and two interns are nearing completion of posts for the Burke Museum. The project is sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute. The posts will replace two house posts from the Tlingit village of Gaash that were returned by the museum to Cape Fox Corporation in July 2001. The new posts are original designs, not meant to be replicas, but contemporary expressions based on the Teikweidi Tlingit story of Kaats, the grizzly bear hunter, who married a grizzly bear and was eventually killed by his bear children...(more) (Photos)

SHI Sponsors Northwest Coast Design Class
SHI held a Beginning/Intermediate class on Northwest Coast design in Hoonah June 14-19. The class, taught by artist Robert Hoffman, was part of a three-year Native art program in Hoonah sponsored by the institute. Students who complete the program are eligible for college credit from the University of Alaska Southeast. The program is sponsored through a grant from the Administration for Native Americans.

Tlingit Language Immersion Retreat Wraps
SHI held a Tlingit Language Immersion Retreat July 5-14 in Angoon. The goal is to increase Tlingit fluency and to mentor aspiring Tlingit teachers. The program is sponsored through a grant from the Administration for Native Americans. (Photos)

SHI Recruiting Students for Latseen Summer Camp
SHI is recruiting Alaska Native high school juniors and seniors to participate in its Latseen Summer Camp. Students will earn college credit while learning the art of leadership by building physical and spiritual strength -- called Latseen in Tlingit. The institute will award scholarships to 20 students for tuition, meals and lodging. The camp is scheduled August 3-13 at the University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau campus. Dionne Cadiente-Laiti at 586-9264 or dionne.cadientelaiti@sealaska.com for more information...(more)

SHI Awarded Grant to Document Human Migration Ancient History
Project dovetails with new scientific theories on the peopling of the Americas
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has received a $40 thousand grant to document human migration oral traditions owned by eight Southeast Alaska clans. The grant from the National Park Service will allow SHI to collect 16 clan songs pertaining to origin and migration stories, along with any associated oral history and dance movements through interviews with clan members and Elders. The institute will record the information, transcribe it in Tlingit and translate and transcribe it in English. SHI will archive and protect the materials so they may be of use to Native groups, scholars, archaeologists and historians...(more) (Radio Actuality) (News Article) (News Article)

SHI Sponsors Chilkat Design Class
SHI sponsored a Chilkat design class for Sealaska shareholders and their descendants in June. The class, taught by artist Steve Brown, covered basic form-line design principles based on traditional Tlingit work from the nineteenth century and before. Chilkat design is based on 18th century Tlingit and Tsimshian design work, so the class explored examples of this style from the historic period.

SHI Releases Summer Native Language Program Schedule
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will offer Native language classes June-August in Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian this summer. SHI will sponsor its language programs in four locations, including Ketchikan, Angoon, Haines and Juneau. The institute also for the first time is partnering with the Ketchikan Indian Corporation’s Johnson O’Malley program to offer the Ketchikan classes. “These programs will not only introduce the beginner to the language but also to those who want to teach the language to others. So it has multiple resources for the language learner as well as the language teacher,” said SHI President Rosita Worl...(more) (Schedule) (News Article)

New Language Resources on the Web
SHI has added posters showing Tlingit words for basic and complex colors to its Language Resources section. The institute encourages students and teachers to use its online resources to perpetuate and revitalize Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian languages. (Basic Colors Poster) (Complex Colors Poster)

SHI Co-Publishes Master Reference for Haida Language
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has co-published a major dictionary of the Haida language, one of the most endangered Native languages in Southeast Alaska. The Haida Dictionary, compiled by author John Enrico and co-published by the Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, is the most complete record ever published of Haida. “This master work by John Enrico will be a valuable resource for our language teachers and learners. It is a major contribution to the field of Haida linguistics," said SHI President Rosita Worl...(more) (Radio Actuality) (News Article) (Shop)

Sealaska Hosts Archives Workshop
Sealaska Corporation in June hosted the Alaska State Archives Archival Training workshop in Juneau. SHI Archivist Sorrel Goodwin, who helped organize the conference, called it a wonderful collaboration between Sealaska and the Alaska State Archives and the UAA Archives, sponsors of the event. The workshop was aimed at librarians, curators, historical society people, school staff and Native culture specialists in Southeast Alaska. It was attended by professionals from across the state. SHI cares for a vast collection of cultural documents, recordings and objects. (See Collections)

SHI Hosts Scholar of Linguistics
SHI hosted linguistics student Seth Cable, a doctoral candidate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Spring 2005. Seth, whose wife has Tlingit relatives, became interested in the language after entering MIT's doctoral program and used materials produced by SHI to study it. He came to SHI as a visiting scholar to consult with Tlingit speakers Johnny Marks and David Katzeek. Seth was interested in looking at the order of words in questions versus the order of words in declarative sentences in Tlingit. He plans to work in linguistics after he graduates from MIT, one of the country’s top schools for that field.

Ancient Fish Trap on Exhibit in Juneau
SHI is co-sponsoring an exhibit at the Juneau-Douglas City Museum of an ancient fish trap discovered in 1991. The basketry-style fish trap was excavated from Montana Creek in Juneau and radiocarbon dated between 500-700 years old. Basketry fish traps are rarely found and little local archaeological material can be seen on exhibit in the capital city.  The museum is located at 4^th and Main Streets. The fish trap will be on permanent display. (Photos)

Scholarships Available for Summer Program at Perseverance Theatre
SHI is offering tuition scholarships for Juneau Perseverance Theatre's STAR Program this summer. The Summer Theatre Arts Rendezvous (STAR) is a great 5-week program for youth ages 10-17 who are serious about the theatre. To be eligible for a scholarship the applicant must be a shareholder descendant. Check out the following link to find out more about the program www.perseverancetheatre.org/education/star.html or call David Charles Goyette at 907-364-2421 x223 or Ishmael Hope at 907-364-2421 x226 and ask about auditions and to request scholarship application. (Brochure)

Shareholder Donates Art for Sealaska Scholarship Program
Artist and shareholder Joseph James has donated art to SHI to help fund the Sealaska scholarship program, which is administered by the institute. Joseph James made the announcement at the Anchorage shareholder community meeting on May 13, saying "The best thing Sealaska has ever done is pay scholarships to our students. The program is so important that I would like to donate some of my art for SHI to auction for the benefit of the scholarship program." Sealaska awarded 416 scholarship awards for the 2005-2006 academic year. The meeting at the Anchorage Sheraton drew 177 shareholders, the largest turnout of the seven community meetings held this spring.

Applications for Summer Language Program Available
Applications for SHI's Sealaska Kusteeyi Program (SKP) and Tlingit immersion retreats are now available online. The application is for the institute's SKP classes in Juneau. A separate application for SKP classes in Ketchikan will be available soon. Please check back! The immersion retreats will be held in Angoon and Haines this year. (Application) (Schedule)

SHI Awarded Tlingit Language Grant
Sealaska Heritage Institute is one of 26 organizations nationwide to receive a grant through a new federal program to digitally archive endangered Native languages. The $266,000 award from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities will advance the institute’s efforts to revitalize Tlingit, one of the most endangered languages in Southeast Alaska...(more)

New Subsistence Regulations for Halibut Take Effect
Subsistence II rules for halibut went into effect on May 5, meaning eligible tribes and communities may apply for the Community Harvest Permits, Ceremonial Permits, and Educational Permits. This also means that the gear and harvest limits in Area 2C decrease to 30 hooks and 20 halibut per vessel. The gear and harvest limits in Area 4C, 4D, and 4E are removed with this rule. The Final Rule and the new permit applications are posted at: www.fakr.noaa.gov/ram/subsistence/halibut.htm

SHI Spring Language Activities at a Glance
SHI language staff has been developing Native language curriculum and other materials in preparation for upcoming Tlingit and Haida language classes. SHI also is holding camps in Klukwan and Juneau for children. In addition to the institute's summer language workshops (SKP) in Juneau and Ketchikan, three Tlingit courses and one Haida course will be offered through the University of Alaska Southeast September-December (schedule). Click here to see photos of recent language activities.

Alaska Native Elders go to Washington, D.C., for Collections Project
Four Alaska Native Elders made a poignant and often emotional trip to Washington, D.C., this month to share information about ancient Tlingit and Haida objects held by the Smithsonian Institution. The trip, sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute and the Arctic Studies Center, marked the beginning of a consultation among the Elders, the institute and the Smithsonian on the museum’s Alaska Collections Project. One of the highlights of the trip came when the delegation saw a Teikweidí clan hat with a Bear and tinaá, said SHI President Rosita Worl...(more) (Photos)

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos of Juneau homes and people from the mid 1900s. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

SHI To Host Celebration for Haida Language Students
Sealaska Heritage Institute is hosting a celebration for students who recently completed 100 hours of classroom instruction in Haida, one of the most endangered Native languages in Southeast Alaska. “We want to commemorate the achievement of these students,” said Rosita Worl, president of the institute. “They are leading the way in revitalizing the Haida language...”(more)

SHI Hosts Juneau Reception for Tlingit Author
Sealaska Heritage Institute hosted a reception on April 1 for Miranda Belarde-Lewis (Tlingit/Zuni) and Lydia Mills, author and subject of Meet Lydia: A Native Girl from Southeast Alaska...(more) (Photos) (News Article)

Elders Help USFS Make Over Book on Tlingit Food
Publication features recipes, preparation, detailed descriptions of how to dry fish
(News Article)

Tsimshian Talking Circle to Meet
The Tsimshian Talking Circle will meet from 2-4 pm, Saturday, April 2, to practice speaking the Tsimshian (Shimalgyak) language. The circle was formed by participants of Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Tsimshian summer workshops, taught by Donna May Roberts. “The seed was planted and is growing,” said SHI Tsimshian student Nancy Barnes. Anyone interested in learning the language is invited to attend the meetings. For more information contact Nancy Barnes at 364-2327 or auntienancy@hotmail.com. (Listen to a radio story by CoastAlaska reporter Ed Schoenfeld)

Haida Language Program Photos
Sealaska Heritage Institute in 2005 sponsored Haida language workshops in Hydaburg. The institute's linguists use a technique called Total Physical Response to teach the language, one of the most endangered Native languages in Southeast Alaska. The method incorporates physical activites, such as the game Twister seen in the following images, to help students retain information...(photos)

Celebration 2006 to be held in Juneau June 1-3
SHI To Explore Possibility of Mini-Celebrations
Sealaska Heritage Institute has decided to hold Celebration 2006 in Juneau instead of changing venues for the first time since its inception, an idea floated by SHI late last year. The institute made the decision on Wednesday after its board of trustees reviewed bids from Ketchikan and the capital city, which offered a total of $15,000, in-kind support to help fund security and a pledge to help the institute secure additional sponsors. Celebration 2006 will be held June 1-3...(more) (Radio Actualities)

Sealaska Heritage Institute Field Trip
Sealaska Heritage Institute staff hosted a class of students from Auke Bay Elementary School at the Sealaska building on March 1. The goal was to teach the kids about some aspects of Native culture. In the photo at left, Language Project Assistant Yarrow Vaara reads to the students "Moldy End," a Tlingit story book produced by the institute in 2004.

Acclaimed Art Expert Heading to Hoonah
One of the country’s leading scholars on Northwest Coast art history will teach classes in Hoonah this week for a program sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute. Aldona Jonaitis, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North and author of several books on Northwest Coast art, is highly regarded in art and museum circles nationwide, said SHI President Rosita Worl...(more) (Radio Actualities)

New House Posts to be Unveiled at Burke Museum in 2005
Two house posts by Nathan and Stephen Jackson will be installed at the Burke Museum as part of a project co-sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute. The poles will replace two house poles from the Tlingit village of Gaash that were returned by the museum to Cape Fox Corporation in July 2001...(more) (Photos) 

Council of Traditional Scholars Meets
Sealaska Heritage convened its Council of Traditional Scholars in December. The Council meets periodically to give guidance to the institute on its language and culture programs. (Photos)

Scholarship Applications Now Available Online
Sealaska Heritage has posted printable online applications for students pursuing Sealaska scholarships to attend college, university, and vocational and technical schools.

New Photo Albums Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul in December donated to SHI copies of old images of Native people posing as tuberculosis patients. Ben's father, William Paul, Jr., took the photos in the mid 1900s for the book "The Home Care of the Tuberculosis" by Frances Paul. Ben donated the images in Photo Album 31 and Photo Album 32 in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. He also hopes viewers will help identify the people in the photos. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Sealaska Heritage Holds Tlingit Teacher Workshop
Sealaska Heritage in December held a workshop to acquaint Tlingit teachers with tools SHI is developing to teach the language. On Dec. 14, the teachers practiced using Tlingit playing cards. (Photos)

Sealaska Heritage Holds Language Orthography Workshop
Sealaska Heritage in December sponsored an orthography workshop for the Tlingit language. (Photos)

Sealaska Heritage Publishes Tlingit Story Book
Sealaska Heritage Institute has published a Tlingit story book designed to teach the language to children. Shanyaak’utlaax, known in English as “Moldy End,” is about a young boy who shows disrespect to the Salmon People by throwing away a piece of fish. The Salmon People bring him into their world where he lives for a number of years, until one day he reaches his family’s stream. He returns home a changed young man who has acquired a deep respect and appreciation for the Salmon People...(more) (News Article)

Sealaska Heritage Co-Sponsors Art Class
SHI sponsored a Native art workshop in November and December led by artist Steve Brown, who taught students the history of design styles, basic elements in design and how to compose elements into proper design during the 3-day class in Juneau. (News Article)

Sealaska Heritage to Explore Other Venues for Celebration
Sealaska Heritage Institute for the first time will seek bids from Alaska communities to host Celebration, one of the largest Native cultural events in the state. The institute (SHI) usually holds the popular, biennial festival in Juneau. However, the Native nonprofit group’s board of trustees elected this year to explore other venues for Celebration 2006 in hopes of easing the financial burden on the institute, said SHI President Dr. Rosita Worl...(more) (Radio Actualities) (News Article)

Sacred Site Nominated for National Register Gets State Nod
A state panel has endorsed an effort by Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) to extend federal protective status to an important traditional cultural property in Juneau. The Alaska Historical Commission on Monday approved the institute’s application to list Indian Point on the National Register of Historic Places. The matter now goes to the National Park Service for review. If the park service gives final approval, the roughly 78-acre site at 14 mile Glacier Highway will become the first traditional cultural property in Alaska to make the list…(more) (News Article)

Sealaska Heritage Author Receives Award for Literature
A Tlingit writer who has co-authored several important Native books for Sealaska Heritage Institute is one of five artists nationwide to win a 2005 Community Spirit Award from the First Peoples Fund. Nora Marks Dauenhauer of Juneau was chosen for her contributions to literature, according to the Fund, a Native organization in South Dakota founded in 1995 to honor and support the creative community-centered First People’s artists and nurture the collective spirit that allows them to sustain their people...(more) (Photo) (News Article)

Sealaska Heritage Launches Language Resources Project
Sealaska Heritage Institute has launched an online project to share Native language tools with language students and teachers. The language resources project so far includes the Tlingit alphabet, a Tlingit phrase of the week section and a children’s book written in Tlingit called Salmon Boy, recently produced by SHI and posted in a printable form. The alphabet and Tlingit phrases may be read on the web and also heard by clicking on them. The alphabet section includes audio of sounds plus words that incorporate the sounds...(more) (News Article)

Artist Donates Winning Art to Sealaska Heritage Institute
Native artist William Pfeifer has donated his "Raven's Dream" silver spoon to Sealaska Heritage. The spoon won third place for traditional art at the 2004 Sealaska Juried Art Show and Competition. The gift was received by SHI trustees Marlene Johnson and Walter Soboleff and SHI President Rosita Worl on Sept. 30, 2004. Two other pieces made by Pfeifer also were selected for inclusion in the show, which ran through July 2 in the Sealaska lobby.

SHI Receives Award from Governor for Language Revitalization Efforts
SHI was one of two organizations to receive the 2004 Governor’s Humanities Distinguished Cultural Service Award for its “important language revitalization efforts.” Gov. Frank Murkowski honored SHI staff in a public ceremony with the award, which recognizes individuals or organizations demonstrating exemplary vision, creativity or support for public humanities programs on the local, regional and/or state level...(more) (Photos)

National Museum of the American Indian Opens in Washington, D.C.
Sealaska Heritage and Sealaska Corporation gave logistical support to a delegation of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian who traveled to Washington, D.C., for the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian in September 2004. "The Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian were absolutely regal in their appearance and being," said SHI President Rosita Worl, a founding and current member of the NMAI who helped guide the massive construction project. "We made a definite national and international statement about our survival and vitality as a People." (News Article) (News Article) (Photos) 

Sealaska Heritage Wraps Tlingit Immersion Retreats
Sealaska Heritage held two 10-day Tlingit immersion retreats in August in Sitka and Hoonah. During the retreats, participants immersed themselves in the language by speaking only in Tlingit. The retreats were funded through a 3-year grant from the Administration for Native Americans. (Photos) (Hoonah Newsletter Article) 

Sealaska Heritage Sponsors Carving Class
Sealaska Heritage held a carving class in Hoonah in August for its Hoonah Arts Project. The class was taught by artist Ray Peck. The project also includes classes in weaving and is funded through a grant from the Administration for Native Americans. (Photos)

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos of people from the mid 1900s. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Playwright adapts Native story for kids
Summer Theatre Arts Rendezvous performances conclude today, Saturday
This March, Perseverance Theatre and Sealaska Heritage Institute invited local playwright Merry Ellefson to adapt the Native story "The Woman Who Married The Bear" for its Summer Theatre Arts Rendezvous children's program. Ellefson had never adapted a play before, nor was she very familiar with the mores and history of Tlingit culture...(News Article) (Radio Story by CoastAlaska Reporter Ed Schoenfeld)

Sealaska Heritage Gears Up for Immersion Retreats
Click here to view and print Hoonah Immersion Retreat schedule.

Sealaska Heritage Receives Native Curriculum Grant
Sealaska Heritage Institute has received an $850,000 federal grant to prepare Southeast Alaska Native high school students for college by increasing their competency in math, science and history. The award from the U.S. Dept. of Education will be distributed over three years and includes funds to develop culturally relevant curriculum in math, science and history; to incorporate the curriculum into high school classes; and to provide workshops for teachers...(more) (Radio Actuality) (News Article) (Radio Story)

Scientists to Speak About Long Ago Person Found
Scientists Petra Mudie and James H. Dickson will give a free lecture next week in Juneau on their study of ancient human remains discovered in the high mountains of northwest British Columbia. The remains, known in Tlingit as Kwaday Dan T'sinchi  (Long Ago Person Found), were unearthed in 1999 at the edge of a receding glacier.  The lecture is scheduled 6-9:00 p.m., Aug. 5, in the fourth-floor boardroom of the Sealaska building in downtown Juneau. It is free of charge and open to the public...(more)

Sealaska Heritage Says Goodbye to Sociolinguist
Sealaska Heritage on Thursday said goodbye to Sociolinguist Roy Mitchell, who has spearheaded the institute's language revitalization efforts in recent years. SHI President Rosita Worl thanked Roy for introducing the teaching technique Total Physical Response, which has proven to be an effective method for teaching Native languages. "That is his great contribution that he made to Southeast Alaska Native languages, and we shall always appreciate that," Worl said to staff at a going-away party. "You’ve really been an inspiration to us as a community." Roy is leaving Alaska for California to pursue his dissertation.

Links to Documents from Native Education Forums
Language/Culture Policy Sample (from the Washington State Board of Education First People's Language/Culture Teacher Certification Pilot Program); Second Forum Summary; Working Group; For Working Group Tools, please see http://www.ankn.uaf.edu/standards/; Southeast Alaska Native Education Status Report; June 15 Group Reports; Materials and Resources; Curriculum Info from the Effie Kokrine Charter School; New Zealand Herald Article on Maori Language Efforts; Improving Academic Performance by Bill Demmert; Sitka Tribal Council Resolution; Southeast Alaska Native Educators Association Resolution; Sealaska Heritage Council of Traditional Scholars Resolution; SE Early College High School Concept Paper & Work Plan; Juneau Empire Editorial: Time to beef up Native education. The Native Education Forums are co-sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Sealaska Heritage Job Openings
Sealaska Heritage is accepting applications for curriculum specialists and an education director...(more)

Sealaska Heritage to Offer Tlingit Immersion Retreats
Sealaska Heritage Institute is offering two Tlingit immersion retreats in Hoonah and near Sitka this summer in an effort to revitalize the endangered language. Tlingit speakers and serious students of the language will live in a Tlingit-speaking world 24 hours a day from Aug. 9-19 during the institute’s Tlingit immersion retreat at Icy Strait Lodge in Hoonah. A second retreat is scheduled Aug. 11-21 near Sitka at Dog Point Fish
 Camp...(more)

Sealaska Heritage Job Opening
CURRICULUM SPECIALIST: Work with a team of linguists and fluent speakers to develop and field test curriculum & materials for Native language immersion programs in elementary grades, help coordinate and evaluate projects, draft performance reports, develop community relations. Must have at least a baccalaureate degree in Education or related field and two years experience at elementary grade level. Job description available. Send cover letter, resume and names of 3 references to Keri Edwards at Sealaska Heritage Institute, One Sealaska Plaza, Suite 301, Juneau, AK 99801. The Institute is a nonprofit organization founded by Sealaska Corporation. Shareholder preference. Open until filled. Selection process will begin July 26.

Sealaska Heritage Accepting Applications for Sitka & Hoonah Tlingit Immersion Retreats
Sealaska Heritage is accepting applications for its annual Tlingit language immersion retreats. The first retreat is scheduled August 9 through August 19 at Icy Strait Lodge in Hoonah. A second retreat is scheduled August 11 through August 21 at Dog Point Fish Camp in Sitka. Tlingit speakers and serious students of the language will live in a Tlingit-speaking world 24 hours a day during the retreats. For more information call Catrina Mitchell at 463-4844. (Application)

Juneau Tlingit & Tsimshian Workshop to Begin July 19
Sealaska Heritage Institute is accepting applications for its annual Native language workshop in Juneau. The workshop starts Monday, July 19, at the University of Alaska Southeast and runs through July 30...(more) (Class Schedule) (Application)

Sealaska Heritage Wraps Haida Language Workshop
Sealaska Heritage Institute held a Haida workshop June 21-July 1, 2004, in Ketchikan for students of the language. Sociolinguist Jordan Lachler, Cherilyn Holter and Linda Schraek of the institute were assisted by Haida-speaking Elders Erma Lawrence of Ketchikan, Julie Coburn of Kasaan, Alma Cook of Hydaburg, Viola Burgess of Hydaburg, Anna Peele of Hydaburg and Charles Natkong, Sr., of Hydaburg. (Photos)

Sealaska Heritage Receives Clan Hat Grant
Sealaska Heritage Institute has received a $71,000 federal grant to document and establish clan ownership of Southeast Alaska clan hats held by museums outside the state. The grant, awarded under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, will fund efforts to photograph and videotape the clan hats, one of the most important cultural objects in modern and historical ceremonies...(more) (Radio Actuality) (News Article) (Radio Story by CoastAlaska reporter Ed Schoenfeld)

Educators and Native Groups Hold Education Forum
Local educators and Native organizations are working on a plan to improve Native achievement in the Juneau schools. The group met for the first time Tuesday at ANB Hall. The effort is sponsored by the Sealaska Heritage Institute, the Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 70 and the Tlingit-Haida Central Council...(News Article)

Scholarships Available for Summer Program at Perseverance Theatre
SHI is offering tuition scholarships for Juneau Perseverance Theatre's STAR Program this summer and there are only five scholarships remaining. This is a great 5-week program for youth ages 10-17. To be eligible for a scholarship the applicant must be a shareholder descendant. Check out the following link to find out more about the program and how to register: www.perseverancetheatre.org/education/star.html

Winners of the Black Seaweed Competition Announced
Two sisters from Kake took top prizes at the Sealaska Black Seaweed Contest judged in Juneau on Friday. Marian Adams won first place for her batch of black seaweed, judged tops by judges during Celebration 2004, a biennial Native dance and culture festival sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute...(more) (Video: Windows Media or RealOne) (News Article)

Winners of the Sealaska Juried Art Competition Announced
Six artists have taken top awards at the second Sealaska Juried Art Show and Competition in Juneau for best contemporary and traditional Native art...(more)  (Video: Windows Media or RealOne)

Celebration 2004 to Kick Off Thursday to Anticipated Record Crowd
Sealaska Heritage Institute anticipates a record number of people next week will attend Celebration 2004, a biennial dance-and-culture festival that has grown so huge in popularity it has spawned interest in dance groups outside the region and the state. The Institute had to turn away nine dance groups from the Lower 48 and outside Southeast that applied to participate in the Juneau festival this year for lack of space, said SHI President Rosita Worl...(more)

Winners of Sealaska Juried Art Competition to be Announced
Sealaska Heritage Institute will host a public opening Wednesday to announce the winners of the biennial Sealaska Juried Art Show and Competition for Native artists. SHI received applications from 22 Native artists who submitted 46 pieces for consideration. The winning artists will attend the reception to meet the public and to talk about their art, which is for sale...(more)

Seaweed Aficiondos to Compete for Prizes
Southeast Alaska Natives with a penchant for preparing black seaweed will compete for prizes during Celebration 2004. Sealaska Heritage Institute will hold its second biennial black seaweed contest 9 a.m., Friday, June 4, at the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall. The Elders will judge the seaweed, which must be submitted by 5 p.m., Thursday, June 3...(more)

New! Community Bulletin Board
SHI has added a community bulletin board to its web so people may use the site to share information with others. To submit information, please contact SHI at shiwebmaster@sealaska.com

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos of Hydaburg from the mid 1900s. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Tlingit Summer Camps Open
The teachers at Harborview Elementary School in Juneau are registering children for the 4th Annual Summer Culture Camp. The camp is open to children enrolled in the K-2 Tlingit Language and Culture Class (also known as the Tlingit K-4 program) and incoming Kindergartners. The camp, meant to give students a jump start on the new school year, is sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute through a federal grant. (Flyer)

William Paul, Jr., Collection to be Featured in Show
The North Seattle Community College will exhibit photos from the William Paul, Jr., Collection April 8-May 8, 2004. The William Paul, Jr., Collection also is featured on the Sealaska Heritage Institute website, courtesy of Paul's son, Ben Paul.

Native Elders Devise New Tlingit Words
Sealaska Heritage Institute convened a panel of Tlingit Elders March 25-26 in Juneau to help devise new Tlingit words. The Elders spoke in Tlingit, which was translated and transmitted to headsets worn by SHI's Tlingit language specialists and other audience members.

Juneau Students Get Lesson in Native Art Design
Tlingit artist and SHI employee Donald Gregory taught a Native art class at the Juneau-Douglas High School in February, 2004. Students carved and painted either Raven or Eagle wooden plaques. (Photos) (Video: Windows Media or RealOne).

Photos of Traditional Scholars Meeting in February
Sealaska Heritage Institute convened the Council of Traditional Scholars in 2004 to get guidance on the Institute's language and culture programs. The meeting marked the first time SHI used a real-time Tlingit interpretation system. As the scholars spoke in Tlingit, Fred White and David Katzeek translated the Tlingit to English. The translations were broadcast to wireless headsets worn by audience members...(Photos)

Celebration 2004 Applications Available Online
Juried Art Show and Competition application information, Dance Group application information and Native Artists Market application are available online.

SHI Posts Job Announcement in Tlingit
(News story by KNBA-FM reporter Dixie Hutchinson)

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos of Hydaburg from the mid 1900s. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

SHI to Hold Black Seaweed Contest During Celebration
The Celebration Committee of Sealaska Heritage Institute will hold a black seaweed contest during Celebration 2004. The names of the three judges will remain confidential until Celebration. The Grand prize for the seaweed King or Queen will be $500.00; Second Prize $250.00; and Third Prize $100.00...(more)

Native Elder to Appear in Photo Essay
Elder Nancy Jackson is scheduled to appear in a photo essay by the Anchorage Daily News on Ravens. Photographer Bob Hallinen, who has worked on the photo essay for several years, shot Jackson at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau in January. Sealaska Heritage Institute helped to set up the photo shoot.

Scholarship Applications Now Online
Click here to print scholarship application for students planning to attend university or voc-tech schools. Deadline to submit application is March 1, 2004.

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing Native people. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Sealaska Heritage Institute Opens Ketchikan Office
SHI has opened a new office and significantly expanded its staff in an effort to perpetuate Haida, one of the most endangered Native languages in Southeast Alaska. The number of fluent Haida speakers has dwindled to fewer than a dozen people ranging in age from early 80s to more than 100 years. “The situation is urgent because time is running out,” said SHI President Rosita Worl, noting the institute will hire the remaining speakers to work on projects...(more) (Radio Story by Deanna Garrison, KRBD-FM)

Weaver Delores Churchill Receives Arts Award
Master basket weaver Delores Churchill received the Governor's Award for Native Arts Oct. 30 in Anchorage. The award is given in honor of Native artists and organizations for their creative contributions to the state. Churchill, who also teaches basket weaving, was nominated for the award by Sealaska Heritage Institute.

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing Native people. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

SHI Awarded $1.4 Million Grant for Haida Language Immersion
Sealaska Heritage Institute has received a $1.4 million federal grant to improve academic achievement of children through Haida language immersion. The three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Alaska Native Education Program, is to fund development of Haida immersion curriculum for grades K-2 and to teach instructors to use the new materials...(more) (Video: Windows Media or RealOne). The federal program founded by U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens also included funds to expand the Tlingit K-4 program in Juneau to 5th grade. (News Article) The Tlingit K-4 program was initially funded through a grant to SHI.

SHI Awarded Grant to Digitize Historical Photos
A federal agency has awarded a $147,639 grant to Sealaska Heritage Institute to digitize and post on the Internet a large collection of historical photos owned by SHI and Sealaska Corp...(more) (News Article)

SHI Launches Native Art Website
Sealaska Heritage Institute has launched a new website for Alaska Native artists. The site, www.alaskanativeartists.com, showcases Native art for sale and includes profiles and photos of the artists. The goal of www.alaskanativeartists.com is to give Native artists a new venue to sell their art, to promote traditional and contemporary Native art, to educate the public about Native art and culture and to help support SHI programs...(more) (News Article). For more information, visit the site or e-mail alaskanativeartists@sealaska.com.

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing Native people. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

SHI Awarded Native Arts Grant
A federal agency has awarded to Sealaska Heritage Institute a grant of $363,500 to operate a 3-year Native arts program and to publish two books on art forms. SHI will use a portion of the grant award from the Administration for Native Americans to fund Native carving and basket-weaving classes from 2004-2006 in Hoonah, the largest Tlingit village in Southeast. The federal grant also will help fund two books on carving and weaving to teach the art forms to future artists...(more) (Video: Windows Media or RealOne)

SHI Receives Old, Stone Artifact
Sealaska Heritage Institute has received an object believed to be an old Tlingit fighting pick discovered in the early 1950s in the village of Kake. The pick was found by Lloyd Davis during a construction project and later presented to SHI by Davis' son, John Davis. Two theories have emerged about the object’s potential historical use...(more)

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing Native people. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing Native people. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Hydaburg Raises Pole in Honor of Haida Elder
The community of Hydaburg has raised a totem pole to celebrate the achievements and life of respected Haida Elder Woodrow W. Morrison. Woody and his wife Virginia raised their children in Hydaburg and served the community in many different ways. (Read Citation) (Photos of Totem Pole Raising)

Language Students Head to Glacier Bay Tlingit Immersion Retreat
Nearly 40 people left Juneau and Hoonah on Monday, Sept. 8, for a 10-day language immersion retreat at Glacier Bay Lodge. The program is part of an ongoing effort by SHI to revitalize endangered Native languages...(more on SHI's immersion retreats). (Photos) (News Article) (Video: Windows Media or RealOne)

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing Native people. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

SHI President Teaches Native Culture and History Course
SHI President Rosita Worl taught a course on Southeast Alaska Native Culture and History in August 2003 in partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast. Major topics included the social organization of the Southeast Alaska Natives and their religious ideologies, traditional property law and sociocultural change associated with the resolution of the Southeast Alaska Native aboriginal land claims. (Photos)

HI Launches Summer Juneau Workshops
SHI has posted photos online of the Sealaska Kusteeyi language workshops in Juneau and the Preparing Indigenous Teachers for Alaska Schools (P.I.T.A.S.) program. (Photos of P.I.T.A.S.) (Photos of SKP (includes some P.I.T.A.S. images)) (Photos of Closing Ceremony). (News Article) (Click here to listen to a story about P.I.T.A.S. by KTOO-FM reporter Anne Sutton)

Sealaska Scholarship Survey Now Available Online
The Sealaska Heritage Institute Scholarship Program has been in existence since 1981. Over the past 22 years, more 2000 shareholders and descendants have received scholarships to attend academic programs for higher education and vocational training. Currently, we are asking present and past Sealaska scholarship recipients to participate in a survey to assist Sealaska and SHI...(more)   Click here to complete survey online.

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing cultural objects from Ketchikan. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

NMAI Seeks Native Performers

The National Museum of the American Indian is seeking Native performers to participate in a multi-day festival commemorating the opening of its museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.. The museum is scheduled to open Sept. 21, 2004. NMAI is seeking Alaska performers from six categories: dance groups, story tellers, bands, fiddlers, drum makers and regalia makers. For more information call 907-248-1972 or 202-287-2020 (ext. 137).

SHI Seeks Information About Old Tunic

Sealaska Heritage Institute is seeking information about an old Tlingit tunic, probably made in the early 20th century. If you have information about the tunic in the photo, please contact the institute at 907-463-4844 or kathy.miller@sealaska.com.

(Click photo to enlarge)

Linguist to Speak About Historic Chinook Language

Linguist David Robertson will give a free lecture this month about the historic Chinook Jargon trade language and its colorful role in Southeast Alaska history. Although the language is fluently spoken by only a few people in the Lower 48 today, a century ago most people in Southeast Alaska knew some Chinook Jargon, and some Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian words were derived from it, said Robertson, a graduate student studying linguistics at the University of Victoria in British Columbia. The lecture is sponsored by Sealaska Heritage Institute...(more) (Video) (Audio)

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing cultural objects from Petersburg. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Worl Receives National "Women of Courage" Award

Dr. Rosita Worl of Juneau, comedian Rosie O’Donnell and legal heavy-hitter Janet Reno were among nine women awarded the 2003 Women of Courage Award on June 14 in Washington D.C. The National Women’s Political Caucus selected Worl for her outstanding career as an anthropologist, scholar, activist, educator and leader, according to the organization, which gives the annual award to women of diverse backgrounds who have demonstrated courage by taking stands on unpopular or controversial issues to further civil rights and equality and who typify women’s leadership...(more) (Video: Windows Media or RealOne) (Audio) (News Article)

SHI Mourns Loss of Former Employee
Susie Fair, who previously served as Sealaska Heritage Institute's Publication and Media Director, was found dead in her home in Tucson on June 1. Dr. Fair was a nationally-recognized folklorist and known for her creative talents and intellectual inquisitiveness about Alaska Native Peoples and cultures. She authored several publications on Alaska Native cultures and curated the Native Exhibition in the Anchorage Airport. Her contributions to the Sealaska Heritage Institute were multiple, including the creation of the Pendleton Chilkat Blanket. She also edited the Celebration 2000 Restoring Balance Through Culture publication. She adopted and raised an Inupiat boy from Shishmaref at the request of his family. A Celebration of Life will be held for her in Anchorage in early July. Final Announcements will be made at a later date. 

SHI Makes Plea to U.S. Senate for Native Language Funds
SHI President Rosita Worl made a plea to the U.S. Senate in May for new and ongoing federal funding to revitalize critically endangered languages in Southeast Alaska. In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Worl offered an amendment to the Native American Languages Act to fund programs to protect Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. The proposed amendment would steer federal funds to SHI for Native language teacher training and curriculum development, master-apprentice language teams, training for dormant speakers, use of Internet technologies for language revitalization efforts and a language revival program for languages with no fluent speakers. “We think that we offer a model that can be replicated elsewhere, not only in Alaska but in the rest of the country,” Worl told the committee. (Video) (Audio)

Daughter of Native Leader Donates Items to SHI
Frances Paul DeGermain has donated to SHI a Grand President Emeritus ANB vest and 2 caps worn by her father, the late William Paul, Sr. William Paul was a leader in Native land claims, said SHI President Rosita Worl, who called the donation an honor. "William Paul is very significant in the history of Alaska and Alaska Native people. He was the one who started the land claims, so we’re very excited to have this important gift," Worl said. (Photo: Frances Paul DeGermain hands the vest and hats to SHI archivist Sorrel Goodwin in May 2003). (Video)

Sealaska Heritage Launches Online Video Project
SHI has posted online video clips of two recent events sponsored by the institute. Click here to see footage of the Hoonah basket weaving class, held in November 2002. Click here to see footage of a recent lecture by Anthropologist Dr. Jim Dixon on "On Your Knees Cave," thought to be the most significant archaeological and paleontological site in Southeast Alaska. Video is best viewed from computers with high speed Internet connections. SHI plans to periodically post brief video clips of programs in the future. Let us know what you think!

New Photo Album Added to William Paul, Jr., Collection!
Ben Paul has donated copies of more old photos to SHI! This new album features mostly black-and-white photos from the mid 1900s showing cultural objects from Klawock. Ben donated the photos in hopes of sharing them with people across Southeast Alaska. Thank you for sharing more of the historical William Paul, Jr., Collection Ben!

Sealaska Heritage to Offer Native Language Class in Ketchikan in May
Sealaska Heritage Institute will sponsor workshops in Ketchikan this month in an effort to save the Tsimshian and Haida Native languages. The workshops are an expansion of an effort the institute l