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.
