Guardians of Culture and Lifeways International Awards Announcement

Guardians of Culture and Lifeways International Awards Announcement

Oklahoma City, OK, June 3, 2014- The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums (ATALM) today announced the winners of its 2014 Guardians of Culture and Lifeways International Awards. 

 

Archives Institutional Excellence, which recognizes indigenous archival organizations that demonstrate a significant commitment to the preservation and use of documentary heritage, is awarded to the Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) Library, Archives, and Collections Program, SHI President Dr. Rosita Worl, Archivist and Collections Manager Zachary Jones, staff, interns, language consultants, and the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska served by the Sealaska Heritage Institute. The development of the SHI Library, Archives, and Collections Program has followed a careful and deliberate path from a site-based repository to a priceless resource of rare books, photographs, recordings, and manuscripts accessible online from anywhere in the world. Creating partnerships with local, national, and international organizations, SHI has ensured that collections donated to the archive encompassing Tlingit oral histories, Alaska Native Brotherhood have been processed and made accessible employing the highest professional standards. Exemplary is the current project to reveal the hidden treasures in their Tlingit language recordings by migrating cassette tapes to digital format and employing native speakers who listen and record metadata about the oral history and traditional ecological knowledge contained therein. SHI Archivist Zachary Jones serves on the Alaska State Historical Records Advisory Board and enthusiastically offers his expertise as a consultant and mentor to Southeast Alaska tribal organizations and many others far afield that are just beginning their journey to uncover hidden treasures in their own collections.

Established in 2007, the awards program identifies and recognizes organizations and individuals who serve as outstanding examples of how indigenous archives, libraries, and museums contribute to the vitality and cultural sovereignty of Native nations. Eight award recipients will be honored at a luncheon ceremony on Tuesday, June 10, opening day of the International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums that is taking place at the Renaissance Palm Springs, Palm Springs California that is located on the Agua Caliente tribal lands. The award ceremony is open to conference attendees, guests of the awardees, and credentialed media representatives.