SHI welcomes Archives Intern Mary Brooks

SHI welcomes Archives Intern Mary Brooks! Mary moved to Alaska from Colorado and enrolled in college in 2008. She received her B.A. in Social Sciences and interned with SHI last year. She is presently admitted to San Jose State University Masters in Archives and Records Administration program.

Mary says her goals are "to deepen knowledge of cultural heritage through examination of the varied and rich sources of information that come to the archives from many sources; catalog and protect the information for posterity; and determine appropriate avenues and facilitate pathways of said information for consumption by individuals and institutions. Presently the archival work that I am doing at SHI is a continuation of, if you will, a deepening of my knowledge of Southeast Alaskan Peoples with an eye on how technology can assist the Peoples, especially the youth, in coming to a fuller and more experiential understanding of their cultural heritage."

COLLECTOR BUYS, DONATES OLD HAIDA HAT TO SEALASKA HERITAGE INSTITUTE

A California collector of Native art has donated an old spruce root hat likely made by a Haida weaver to Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI).

The hat is dated to 1900 or earlier and is believed to be of Haida origin because it has a “frog’s back” design—a recognizable Haida weaving method that was incorporated to make pieces feel bumpy, like a frog’s back. The donor, former Alaskan Monica Wyatt, first saw the hat in August at the Flury & Company gallery in Seattle.

“I was transfixed. I couldn’t stop looking at it,” Wyatt said. “But it was too fine a piece for just me to have.  I’ve collected contemporary pieces that make me happy, but there’s no way I could feel good about having a cultural piece with only me here to appreciate it.  So I left the gallery.”

But she didn’t get far. The hat called her back.

“The more I looked, the more I was moved by the quiet beauty of the hat and the obvious skill of the person who had woven it.  And someone had worn the hat.  I imagined the people living in the misty forest.”

It was at that moment Wyatt had the idea to buy it and donate it to SHI. Wyatt, who grew up in Fairbanks and lived in Anchorage for seven years, visited the institute in May and was aware of the groundbreaking for the Walter Soboleff Center in Juneau.

“It just came to me in a flash that this was where the hat belonged.  I’m not an expert or a scholar, but I was fairly confident that this was a special hat, so I bought it.”

SHI President Rosita Worl said she is humbled by the generosity of Wyatt’s gift, which cost almost $5,000.

“She paid a significant amount of money to return this remarkable hat to the Native people of Southeast Alaska,” said Worl, noting it’s clear upon examining the piece that the weaver was highly skilled. “We are so grateful for this. Now our weavers will be able to learn this technique by coming to us and studying the hat.”

SHI employs a professional staff to care for collections. The Walter Soboleff Center, which broke ground in August, will have a state-of-the-art facility for ethnographic collections, archives, a library and research.

Sealaska Heritage Institute was 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.

Clarence Jackson tells a story about respect and Tlingit values

SHI has placed online a recording of Tlingit Elder and leader Clarence Jackson of the Tsaagweidí clan relating a story about respect and Native values embodied in the historical relationship between the Chilkat people and the Tsimshians of Naas River. 

On February 26, 2003, Clarence Jackson told his nephew Todd Antioquia a story about respect and Native values. The story, told first in Tlingit and then in English, is about how precious abalone earrings were exchanged between the people of the Jilḵáat, Chilkat area, and the Tsimshian people from Naas, the Nass River area. The story tells of how Tlingit and Tsimshian people treat each other with courtesy and respect; how we remember departed loved ones through objects they once owned; and how we recognize and commemorate our achievements and major events. This recording can be viewed online.

Clarence Jackson (Asx̱’aak, G̱astín, Daanaawú, Tá G̱ooch) was a deeply admired Tlingit Elder of the Tsaagweidí clan from Kake, Alaska. He was also an important political and business leader, serving as a Sealaska Corporation board member from its inception in 1972 to his death in 2013; and serving as the President of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indians of Alaska from 1972 – 1976. Clarence Jackson is remembered for his deep Tlingit knowledge, for integrating Tlingit cultural values into modern affairs, for his special ability to express Tlingit values and cultural concepts through stories and discourse, and as a beloved Elder.

This recording is from the Tlingit Oral Histories, Oratory and Events Recordings Collection from Sealaska Heritage Institute's archives. This recording was placed online as part of an Institute of Museum & Library Services grant.

SHI TO HOLD PUBLIC VIEWING AT SANTA FE INDIAN MARKET

Alaska Native ethnographic collection to be displayed, explained

Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) will sponsor a public viewing during the Santa Fe Indian Market in its continuing effort to familiarize collectors with Northwest Coast art—some of the most distinctive and unique art in the world.

The event will include a display of the institute’s ethnographic collection and staff will be on hand to explain the pieces’ significance to Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures—especially why some objects are considered sacred.

“We have great ethnographic collections and we’re just going to be selecting a few pieces,” said SHI President Rosita Worl. “Some of them have sacred dimensions to them and we want to explain to the people that ‘Yes, we do have art but it has this cultural meaning as well.’ ”

The event is scheduled 2-4 pm, Thursday, Aug. 15, at the Gallery Room of the Eldorado Hotel located at 309 W. San Francisco St. near the market. The event is free. Shortly after the public viewing, SHI will hold a private reception, which will be co-hosted by the renowned Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary.

This is the third year SHI has brought Alaska Native art and culture to the market, though the institute will not sponsor a dance group and artist tables this year due to a lack of funds. SHI is sponsoring an event on a smaller scale to maintain a connection with the market’s collectors, Worl said.

“We felt it was really important to go to Santa Fe to maintain continuity and to have a presence in the center of Native American art that attracts people who love and prize Native art,” said Worl, noting the viewing will include old and contemporary pieces.

The institute is trying to create an annual art market on a similar scale in Juneau, Alaska, where SHI is located, and staff will continue to learn how the Santa Fe market operates on this trip. SHI also is sponsoring its first art auction in February, and staff has been preparing by observing the Santa Fe art auction held during the market. SHI’s Tináa Art Auction will be held in Juneau and include pieces by some of the biggest names in Northwest Coast art. In addition, SHI sells Northwest Coast art through its store, Jinéit, and proceeds fund the institute’s educational programs for Native people and the general public.

The Santa Fe Indian Market over the past 90 years has been instrumental in creating worldwide demand for Southwest Indian art. The two-day market, scheduled Aug. 17-18, is operated by the nonprofit Southwestern Association for Indian Arts (SWAIA), which invited SHI to participate. The market draws nearly 100,000 patrons.

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.

Parnell's board reappointments include Juneau's Zachary Jones and Ben Brown

JUNEAU EMPIRE

On July 1, Gov. Sean Parnell announced appointments to five state boards. Two local men, Zachary Jones and Ben Brown, were on his list of reappointments.

Jones was reappointed to the State Historical Records Advisory Board. He is the archivist and collections manager for the Sealaska Heritage Institute and an adjunct instructor of history at the University of Alaska Southeast. Before coming to Alaska, he worked in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department at the Swem Library, College of William & Mary in Virginia. He holds a master’s degree in comparative history from the College of William & Mary, received a certificate

of advanced studies in archives and records administration from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Native American history from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Jones has been reappointed to a seat representing Native American record-keeping.

Also reappointed was Fairbanks resident Dennis Moser, head of Alaska and Polar Regions Collections and Archives at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Elmer Rasmuson Library. He has been reappointed as a representative of UAF.

The State Historical Records Advisory Board reviews project requests, grant applications and conducts reviews and planning for statewide needs relating to records management and historical documents.

Juneau resident Brown was reappointed to the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Brown, a company member at Perseverance Theatre, is an attorney and member of the Alaska Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. He previously worked with Baxter, Bruce & Sullivan, and currently serves on the board of directors for the National Assembly of State Art Agencies and on the board of Alaska Public Media. He has been reappointed to a public seat.

Also reppointed were Aryne Randall of Wasilla, and Kesler Woodward of Fairbanks.

Randall is a district manager for Wells Fargo Bank, and Woodward is an academic affiliate at the University of Alaska Museum and a professor emeritus of art and northern studies at UAF. Woodward, who formerly worked at the Alaska State Museum, was awarded the first-ever Alaska Governor’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts.

The mission of the Alaska State Council on the Arts is to enrich the cultural life of the state by encouraging and supporting excellence in the arts, provide opportunities for every Alaskan to experience the arts, promote the practice and enjoyment of the arts in Alaska, and guide the development of the arts throughout the state.

In addition to the State Historical Records Advisory Board and Alaska State Council on the Arts, Gov. Parnell announced appointments to the Alaska Police Standards Council, Local Boundary Commission and Prince William Sound Oil Spill Recovery Institute Advisory Board.

For more, visit gov.alaska.gov/parnell/press-room.html