Archival recording of Tlingit peace ceremony recorded in 1980 at Haines, Alaska posted online.

SHI has posted online an archival recording of a peace ceremony recorded in August of 1980 in Haines, Alaska. On that day, Austin Hammond (Gunx̱aa G̱uwakaan, Daanawáaḵ), clan leader of the Lukaax̱.ádi, gathered together the Tlingit and non-Native community to protest the mistreatment of the land and people of his ancestral homeland of Lḵoot, Haines, and to lead a G̱uwakaan Ḵoo.éex’, a Peace Ceremony. According to the film Haa Shagóon (Kawakey, 1981), Austin requested that “the peace rock, or ‘Deer Rock,’ G̱uwakaan Teiyí, broken into pieces by road builders, be made whole; that the fish weir be removed; that our sacred burial grounds be protected so never again will the bones of our ancestors lay scattered and disturbed; and we ask that we may lawfully catch salmon for our subsistence in this river, a heritage denied to us that is rightfully ours." The audio recording can be heard by clicking here.

This recording, which provides spoken Tlingit language content, followed by an English translation, is made available for study and research purposes, and especially for Tlingit language learners and teachers.

This recording and photograph was donated to SHI by Nora Marks Dauenhauer and Richard Dauenhauer.

Sealaska Heritage Institute is a private, nonprofit founded in 1980 to promote cultural diversity and cross-cultural understanding. The institute is governed by a Board of Trustees and guided by a Council of Traditional Scholars. Its mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska.

This project was made possible through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.