Tongass Voices

Charbonneau is now a two-time gold medalist on the world jiu-jitsu stage. In September, she competed at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation World Master Championship in Las Vegas. It’s the biggest competition for grapplers ages 30 and up.

T’set Kwei Vera Starbard is an Emmy-nominated writer who has written six plays and multiple episodes of shows like Molly of Denali and Alaska Daily. Starbard is the librettist for Ḵutulagaaw — an opera about the 1802 battles between Lingít people and Russian invaders in Southeast Alaska. That means she wrote the script, which language teacher X̱’unei Lance Twitchell translated, and composer Ed Littlefield put to music. The production premiers  at Thunder Mountain Middle School on Friday Sept. 11. The show runs through Sept. 20.

Holly Huber is the first Miss Alaska USA from Juneau. After being crowned this summer, she’s currently competing on a national stage in Miami.

Xeetli.éesh Lyle James has been learning and teaching the Lingít language for more than two decades. He lives in Juneau and has taught more than 1,000 students, emphasizing the importance of making mistakes and maintaining a non-judgmental environment.

Though this year’s lead dance group has deep roots in Southeast Alaska, it was formed in 2005 in Anchorage by leader Se’iga Liimii Marcella Asicksik. The group performs songs in Sm’algyax, the Ts’msyen language.

Wallace has been taking photos of Juneau people, places and happenings since he was a kid. He’s also working to memorialize the past — his own family’s and Juneau’s.