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The Douglas Indian Association on Saturday celebrated the opening of its newly built education center. Tribal leaders say it’s years in the making and will give the tribe a space to teach, learn and remember its history.
Khaagwáask’ Ishmael Hope instructed guests, hosts and youth on what to do during a ceremony at Anáx Yaa Andagán Yé Hít on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
During the ceremony, a different grandchild of the T’aaku Kwáan climbed a ladder, dipped their hand in red paint and pressed it into one of the four corners in the building’s main room.
Each time after a corner was marked, people in the room followed Hope and turned in a circle.
It’s part of a ceremony to celebrate the tribe’s new learning center opening. It’s located at the end of St. Ann’s Avenue, overlooking Sandy Beach and the site of the former T’aaku Kwáan village. The building has an open layout, with a side room on one end and a kitchen on the other.
Tribal administrator Andrea Cadiente-Laiti gave remarks during the ceremony. She said the learning center overlooks the site of the Douglas Indian Village, which the city burned down in 1962. The city formally apologized in 2024. The association’s president accepted it at the time. But Cadiente-Laiti said more needs to be done.
“The historic trauma has yet to be really fully realized by this community,” she said. “So hence our president saying, ‘It’s not enough. It’s not enough.’ This paper, this proclamation, this apology, it has to be more, and our young people need to know what happened… for hundreds of years to come,’ and hopefully reclamation will become stronger and stronger.”
The ceremony included additional speeches, dances and songs in the building before a larger picnic and dances took place in Savikko Park.
Funding to build the center came together four years ago. Dionne Cadiente-Laiti is the senior education and grants director for the tribe. She said they are primarily focused on making the building an immersion language program, sharing history and expanding their education offerings. She said the building opening comes as the tribe receives a federal arts education grant
“We already have some language initiatives in place, and now we have this wonderful new art grant,” she said. “So we’re going to be working with the Juneau School District to implement this program, which is to benefit children with special needs, grades K-12.”
Dionne Cadiente-Laiti said she’s excited to accomplish all of their education programming now that they have the education center.
“I’m really excited that now we have a space. So programming that has been difficult to implement because we haven’t had our own space,” she said. “I’m hoping that that gets better because we can be more consistent about our program offerings.”
She said the tribe will continue working with the school district to bring some of its programming to students.
In addition to a new building, tribal leadership announced it is also in the process with the federal government to change its name. The new name has not been announced.
