For almost 30 years, the remote village of Kake has been running its annual summer Keex’ Kwaan Culture Camp – a chance for kids and adults to practice and celebrate Tlingit traditions. It’s the longest running camp of its kind in Alaska. This year, two young women are taking over the reins from a cherished elder and are bringing more Tlingit language to camp and into Kake.
Alaska Native Arts & Culture
Ekwok recovery program teaches subsistence skills to fight addiction
At a 30-day wellness camp hosted at Ekwok Lodge, participants fought alcohol and drug addiction with fishing and berry picking. Friday was graduation day.
Bethel native works to program a ‘Yup’ik Siri’
Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta communities are keeping Yup’ik alive through immersion schools, bilingual media, teacher training programs and speaking the language at home. Bethel native Christopher Liu is doing his part to bring his language into the 21st century.
Peratrovich dollar coin will either have her likeness or a symbolic Tlingit raven
The 2020 dollar coin honoring Elizabeth Peratrovich will either have a literal image of the Alaska Native civil rights leader on it, or a Raven holding a key — a symbol of her Tlingit Raven moiety and her role in agitating for an anti-discrimination law.
Bethel scientist returns home to study climate change
What happens after fire scorches the tundra, and what follows when carbon that’s been locked away for millennia gets released? Currently, a group of scientists is camping 50 miles north of Bethel are attempting to answer these questions. For one scientist the research is personal because it means coming home.
Free Tlingit workbook part of language revitalization
Sealaska Heritage Institute recently published the “Beginning Tlingit Workbook.” It is part of the ongoing effort to revitalize Tlingit language.
Seward statue unveiled in front of Alaska Capitol
A bronze statue Secretary of State William Seward has been installed in front of the Alaska Capitol. The 19th century U.S. statesman engineered the 1867 purchase of Alaska from Russia.
Walker signs law recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day in Alaska
The law establishes Alaska as the second state in the nation to recognize Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday of October, replacing Columbus Day.
Archaeologists find Alutiiq fishing method at low tide
A local archaeologist says there may be the remains of a historic Alutiiq fish trap on the north end of Kodiak Island. Those types of man-made formations are rare to discover in the region, he said.
Chilkat weaver receives national folk art honor
The National Endowment for the Arts has named a Chilkat weaver from Juneau as one of its nine National Heritage Fellows. Anna Brown Ehlers, 62, has been recognized for her mastery of this challenging art form that’s specific to Southeast Alaska and parts of British Columbia.