Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Alaskan Haida Words for Cultural & Ethnographic Objects


As an organization representing the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people, and an organization that also cares for cultural and ethnographic objects, Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) occasionally receives inquiries about the linguistic terms for cultural and ethnographic objects. These inquiries come from practicing artists, educators, museums, and other interested researchers. As a result, Sealaska Heritage Institute compiled a list of Haida language terms for cultural objects and material types from Dictionary of Alaskan Haida, which was compiled by Dr. Jordan Lachler and published by SHI in 2010. While this list is not exhaustive, it does provide Haida words for the most common cultural objects and material types. For those interested in examples of how the Haida language has been used in art publications, for Alaskan Haida see; Living Our Cultures, Sharing Our Heritage: The First Peoples of Alaska (2010), and for British Columbia Haida see; The Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection (1995).

To view this list please click here.

Credit: Image above shows Ken Haida Doll, by Holly Churchill, in the collections of Sealaska Heritage Institute.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a regional nonprofit serving the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people of Southeast Alaska. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures.

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