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July 1, 2004  (Radio Actuality)                                                    

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.

The institute also will compile information collected by the museums about the hats. The institute will later hold meetings in Southeast communities with clan leaders and traditional scholars to share the information and establish cultural affiliation to the hats.

The project is important to the institute because clan hats are so essential to clans, said Dr. Rosita Worl, SHI president.

“Clan hats are critical or essential for our ceremonies,” said Worl. “They represent the clans -- our clan leaders, clan members bring them out in our ceremonies and they represent a very tangible tie to our ancestors.”

The federal portion of the grant funds approximately 80 percent of the total cost of the project. The institute is kicking in $20,775 in funds and in-kind donations to pay for the other 20 percent.

Sealaska Heritage Institute 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.
 

CONTACT:  Rosita Worl, SHI president, 907-463-4844