PRESS RELEASE: SEALASKA HERITAGE INSTITUTE’S ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS, BOOKS, GO ONLINE

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) has posted a searchable catalog of its archival collections on the Internet, a major breakthrough that will help researchers easily sort out what types of materials the institute houses.

The institute also has just started to add its book collection to the local library consortium’s searchable database, making it the only private library to do so.

The projects are part of an effort to foster greater scholarship on the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska, said SHI Archivist Zachary Jones.

“There’s a lot of opportunity for study because some aspects are unstudied. I think there are a lot of dated studies that need to be revised, and it’s only by looking at these fresh sources that people can get the information to rewrite history,” Jones said.

Before the archival catalog went online, people had to physically go to the institute’s Special Collections Research Center in Juneau to peruse it. The change allows people to search and view the catalog on the Internet.

“People can do a keyword search, they can search by topic, they can browse search, they can do a handful of things, they can just look at things by genre, say they wanted to look at what recordings we had, they could look at all the recordings in a list,” said Jones.

The holdings include approximately 25,000 photographs, roughly 1,000 cultural objects, nearly 2,500 media items, thousands of books and more than 1,000 linear feet of manuscript material that document the history, culture, heritage and language of the Tlignit, Haida and Tsimshian.

The institute also is adding a catalog of its book collection to the Capital Cities Library Information Center (CCLIC), so Sealaska Heritage Institute will show up as a facility that has particular books when people search the CCLIC system.

“We have around 3,000 publications. They date from the late 1800s to the present and they all focus on Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian or Northwest Coast studies in general,” said Jones.

The catalogs will produce lists of the institute’s holdings. Patrons still will have to go the Special Collections Research Center to view the materials and books. The center is located at Sealaska Heritage Institute at Sealaska Plaza. The center is open 8:15 am-4:15 pm weekdays (closed from noon-1pm). The database links are posted at www.sealaskaheritage.org/collection/research.htm

This undertaking is two-year project funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Sealaska Heritage Institute, and Sealaska Corporation.

SHI is a Native nonprofit established in 1980 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. Language revitalization is a priority of SHI.

CONTACT: Zachary Jones, SHI Archivist, 907-586-9261

New Art Collection Obtained by SHI

In December 2008 the Sealaska Heritage Institute obtained three new art items for inclusion in our ethnographic collection. These items were obtained by SHI from Art Peterson of Douglas, Alaska who had owned them for over 20 years. These three art items now constitute SHI’s Art Peterson Collection (AR 34) and will be preserved and presented to the public for generations to come. Below is a brief description of these items as well as photographs of each.

Item 1: Consists of a Warrior’s Mask and measures approximately 9.5 inches by 7 inches. It contains no paint, the reverse contains the original price tag, a date of 1974, and a small booklet discussing Leo Jacobs, Sr. and the movement of producing affordable Northwest Coast art. This movement emerged during the early 1970s wherein the Northwest Art Company hired a few accomplished carvers and artists and paid them to produce quality art for trade, with the aim of making quality art available at affordable prices.

Item 2: This piece was created by Leo Jacobs, Sr. and consists of a small but delicately carved Frog Woman Mask that measures 3.5 inches by 3 inches. It is carved, no paint is present, and the woman has an abalone inlay labret. The reverse of the mask contains the original price tag and identifying information about Jacobs and the mask itself, and is dated 4/6/1974.

Item 3: This Nathan Jackson carving consists of a decoratively carved and painted Raven Helmet measuring 19 inches long and 9 inches wide at the largest points. It is carved, contains abalone inlays for the eyes, has human hair, and is painted in shades of red, black, and blue. Inside the helmet are leather straps for fashioning the helmet to the wearer’s head and the carved signature of Nathan Jackson and the date of 1970.

Of importance, according to Nathan Jackson, he made this helmet for himself especially to perform with the Marks Trail Dancers (Jackson was a member of this dance group) at the 1971 Smithsonian Folklife Conference in Washington, DC. While in Washington, DC the Marks Trail Dancers were invited to perform in the Rotunda in the US Capital Building and later before a Senators reception gathering, where the Marks Trail Dancers performed a Sorrow Song for those suffering in and from the Vietnam War. The helmet was later retained by Jackson for a few years before he sold it to Art Peterson in the 1970s.

New Photos Showing Regalia

SHI Special Collections recently processed a collection of digital photos capturing views of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian regalia. The collection consists of seven CD-Rs that contain approximately 500 digital photographs which were taken at the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Celebration festival in 2004. The pictures in this collection were taken by a special team working to document and photograph Native regalia and the history behind specific regalia pieces. Participating individuals allowed their regalia to be photographed and then were interviewed about their regalia. The project was known as the Dance Regalia Documentary Project and was managed by Tlingit artist and weaver Clarissa Hudson. The project was sponsored by the Sealaska Heritage Institute and Artstream Cultural Resources, with additional funding provided by the Alaska Humanities Forum.

The pictures on our CD-Rs include individuals and families in various poses displaying/wearing their regalia. All individuals are identified and signed a waiver granting SHI rights to use these photographs for educational purposes. There are approximately 500 images and there were around 50 studio shoots, wherein either an individual or a group posed for photographs. Photographs were taken by Donna Foulke and Clarissa Hudson. A sample of these photos can be viewed online via SHI Special Collection’s webalbum. Additional information and more specific details about the Dance Regalia Documentary Project can be found via the project’s website, by clicking here.

All in all, SHI Special Collections is grateful to have these and other historic images. As a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the public, SHI Special Collections obtains images primarily by donation. If you or your family have old photographs you would be willing to donate please contact SHI’s archivist.

Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Genealogy

Since genealogists are the largest user group of archival repositories in the United States, I wanted to make a post about conducting genealogy research at our facility. First off, if you have never conducted genealogy research you should be aware that it can be time consuming and require a great deal of work on the part of the genealogist. Before visiting an archive, a genealogy researcher should already know what they are looking for and be prepared to conduct research. For example, I recommend that a genealogy researcher should:

• Compile as much information as possible about your family. Start with yourself, parents, and grandparents.
• Ask your relatives about your family history. Often, family members remember stories or information, or possess documents, that can help start you on your way. Write this information down.

• Look in family records (letters, family Bibles, scrapbooks, diaries, photographs, baptisms, and news clippings, etc).
• And know exactly what type of information you want. Are you looking for mechanical information such as birth and death data? Or are you looking for personal stories and information about certain family members?
• Be aware about how to conduct historical research by using primary sources.

These are some good starting points. A host of other informative sources are available about how to conduct genealogy research. I’d recommend you visit National Archives’ webpage by clicking here. Juneau-based researchers should also know that there is a local genealogical society, the Gastineau Genealogical Society, which could prove helpful. Additionally, people should be aware of the genealogical research conducted by Kenneth Lea, who has indexed around 35,000 Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian names on ancestry.com, which can be viewed by clicking here. Lastly, there are numerous organizations and archives in Alaska and elsewhere in the USA that could have sources to aid genealogists, some of these I have listed on the right column of this blog, under the title “Southeast Alaska Native Studies Links.”

As for resources at Sealaska Heritage Institute, we have some materials that could help people learn about family history, but please be aware that we do not have materials on most Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian families at this point. We do not have census information or family history records. However, some of our collections that could provide information for genealogists include our Curry-Weissbrodt Collection and our audiovisual recordings collection. The Curry-Weissbrodt Collection contains the papers of lawyers for the Tlingit and Haida from the 1920s up to the ANCSA period. Some papers consist of depositions from select Alaska Natives and information about the people in specific villages. Next, our audiovisual recordings collection consists of around 600 recordings, some of which are oral history interviews wherein people talked about their family, history of their clan, and similar topics. Please feel free to contact the archivist for further details.

We must also emphasize, that Sealaska Corporation maintains shareholder records, which are confidential and not available to the public or for genealogical research. In closing, we desire to help assist people in their research and are more than happy to assist genealogists. Importantly, should you have any old family papers, photographs, or other materials that you would like to be preserved in our archival facility, please contact the archivist about making a possible donation. (above featured Arthur J. Demmert photo was donated to SHI in early 2008, image captures Sheldon Jackson College students, class of 1933)

Note update: SHI now has a specific webpage devoted to assisting patrons with genealogical research. SHI also contains the BIA census records for the state of Alaska, which are a great genealogical tool.

Tips for finding books on NW Coast Native topics

Quite regularly people visit our repository to use our book collections and other resources. While we don’t have every book on the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people, that is our lofty goal. Since our books can be viewed onsite only (we are a non-circulating library), there are now a number of great resources out there to help people find the books they want and that are available, which is what I wanted to post about this week. I wanted to make everyone aware of WorldCat, a ‘world catalog’ or database of the world’s books. This international database can be used by anyone, and allows users to search a database of all books produced in the world (or at least listed by participating libraries, which means most all US & Canadian libraries, many European, Australia and New Zealand, etc.). It also provides search categories for music, movies, and other, which can be helpful. Once you find a book you want, WorldCat tells you where the nearest library is that holds the book. Users can also quickly create a username and create favorite lists of books they want to read (or movies to watch, etc.), and view lists others have created. WorldCat has largely become the premier library resource. It is also starting to link with Facebook, for any of those out there who are Facebook users, to stay connect with the rising technological/social generation. All in all, this new revolutionary ‘world’ catalog is really changing things for information seekers. I encourage everyone to spend a few minutes just exploring WorldCat and use it anytime you have information needs.