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Press Release
May 26, 2006 (Radio Actualities)
CELEBRATION 2006 TO KICK OFF NEXT WEEK
Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will kick off its biennial Celebration
on Thursday, marking the 24th year since the inception of the
popular dance and culture festival.
The institute anticipates up to 5,000 people from Alaska and the Lower 48 will attend Celebration 2006, scheduled June 1-3 in Juneau at Centennial Hall, the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall, the National Guard Armory, Sealaska Plaza and Marine Park. SHI also will announce Juried Art Show winners on May 31 and sponsor a community canoeing event June 4 at Sandy Beach.
The theme is “Reflections of Our Ancestors in the Faces of Our Children.”
“The board of trustees selected our theme ‘Reflections of Our Ancestors in the Faces of our Children’ to really focus on the survival of our culture through our children,” said Rosita Worl, SHI president. “It really goes back to one of our traditional concepts that we have of haa shagóon where we respect our Elders but we also recognize that we have an obligation to our children.”
In honor of the theme, SHI is sponsoring its first Baby Regalia Review during the event. Children ages 2 and younger will show their regalia Saturday, June 3, at Centennial Hall.
“The Baby Regalia Review goes right along with our theme. We wanted to highlight our children and show that even at a young age they’re already being introduced and immersed in our culture,” Worl said.
In addition to the baby review, the festival will feature 43 dance groups and approximately 2,000 dancers, a Native Artists Market, a parade through downtown, a black seaweed contest, canoe races, a Juried Art Show, artist lectures, a repatriation workshop and language workshops.
The Grand Entry is scheduled 8:30 am, Thursday (from the ANB Hall, down Willoughby Ave. to Centennial Hall for the Welcome Ceremony at 9:30). The parade is scheduled 8:30 am, Saturday, from the Mt. Roberts Tram to Centennial Hall. Dancers will perform all three days at Centennial Hall, ANB Hall and Marine Park.
Celebration was conceived in 1980 at the first Sealaska Elders conference. At that meeting, Elders asked Sealaska to help preserve and perpetuate the culture of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people. In response, Sealaska founded the Sealaska Heritage Institute, and in 1982, the institute organized the first Celebration. That first festival drew 12 dance groups and 150 people. Today, Celebration is one of the largest Native cultural gatherings in the state.
SHI will begin selling tickets at 1 pm, Wednesday, at Centennial Hall. Three-day passes are $12 for students and Elders and $25 for adults. One-day tickets are $5 for students and Elders and $10 for adults. Celebration is open to the public. Celebration will be broadcast live on Gavel-to-Gavel Alaska (for information on Gavel-to-Gavel Alaska channels by community, see www.ktoo.org/gavel/cable.cfm). The broadcast also will be streamed live on the Internet. A link to the live stream will be posted on SHI’s website.
The festival received major support in 2006 from Sealaska Corporation
($100,000), Carolyn Kleefeld ($10,000) and the City and Borough of
Juneau ($10,000). Bronze sponsors, which gave $5,000 each, included
Holland America Line, the Juneau Convention and Visitors Bureau (JCVB),
Royal Caribbean Cruises, the University of Alaska, Southeast (UAS) and
Wells Fargo. All sponsors, including those that gave $1,500 or less,
will be listed in the 2006 program guide. Alaska Airlines offered a 10
percent discount to Celebration participants and the Alaska Marine
Highway System gave a 50 percent discount for canoe transport. SHI also
received support from the JCVB, the Juneau Chamber of Commerce, the
Downtown Business Association and numerous individuals who volunteered
for Celebration.
CONTACT: Rosita Worl, SHI president
- Rosita Worl,
President, Sealaska Heritage Institute, TRT: :11 “The board of
trustees selected our theme ‘Reflections of Our Ancestors in the Faces
of our Children’ to really focus on the survival of our culture
through our children.” (Audio)
- Rosita Worl,
President, Sealaska Heritage Institute, TRT: :12 “It really goes
back to one of our traditional concepts that we have of haa shagóon
where we respect our Elders but we also recognize that we have an
obligation to our children.” (Audio)
- Rosita Worl, President, Sealaska Heritage Institute, TRT: :12 “The Baby Regalia Review goes right along with our theme. We wanted to highlight our children and show that even at a young age they’re already being introduced and immersed in our culture.” (Audio)