Sealaska Heritage Institute

Cultural education we know for a fact that native children do better academically when they know who they are--when they are familiar with their history, language, and culture. Sealaska Heritage works with universities, school districts, tribes, and other educational institutions throughout the region and the lower 48 to teach people about southeast Alaska native cultures, as evaluations have shown that integrating culture into schools has improved academic achievement. Through programs such as its award-winning baby raven reads, shi also promotes early literacy in Alaska native children, publishes children's books, offers summer camps, and operates a native language program. Shi also develops teaching materials, including books and curriculum resources, and provide professional development to train teachers to use our materials and on cultural orientation. Sealaska Heritage Institute provides scholarships and internships to Alaska native students attending college, university, vocational schools, and technical schools.

Art Sealaska Heritage Institute operates numerous programs to perpetuate northwest coast art-- one of the most distinctive art forms in the world. The goals are to provide opportunities for native artists' professional development; expand demand for native arts through developing native arts markets; provide native arts cross-cultural education among the general public; advocate for artists' access to traditional materials; and, research, preserve, and perpetuate northwest coast art. Shi operates the Sealaska Heritage arts campus, (atnan ht) in juneau, and partners with university of Alaska southeast and Institute of american indian arts to offer higher education opportunities in nwc arts, including in-person and virtual nwc arts classes (including, but not limited to: tool making, formline design, sculptural design, metal engraving, chasing and repouss, basketry, woolen weaving, spruce root gathering and processing, business literacy for artists), on campus, in se Alaska, and beyond. Shi offers optional college credits for all eligible courses and is developing the Sealaska Heritage certificate of merit to offer a valuable non-college credit credential. The Institute hosts tours, performances, traditional ceremonies and artist markets on campus, and offers mentor-apprenticeships, artists residencies, and internships regionally. It is also building its performing arts program with focus on retaining and strengthening the art of oratory and producing a brand new tlingit opera. The Institute is building on traditional economies and the use of natural resources that are abundant and readily available in southeast Alaska to revitalize traditional arts and crafts production: we call this the "sustainable art program." Shi purchases raw materials from native hunters, supports the training of new artists through mentor- apprenticeships, and produces arts-related curriculum resources and other publications to support continuing education.

Language and culture Sealaska Heritage Institute provides the following language programs: our ancestors' echoes and language scholars programs, tlingit culture, language, and literacy program, baby raven reads program, southeast regional language committee, and native language transcription and translation of audio/video recordings. Sealaska Heritage integrates language in its variety of youth summer programs, including latseen arts academy, steam academies, running camps, and voices on the land performing arts camps. It publishes curriculum and educational resources to perpetuate and enhance the tlingit, haida, and tsimshian languages. Sealaska Heritage's cultural programs include: celebration, native american Heritage month and periodic lecture series, its extensive box of knowledge publication series, visiting scholars program, its rotating and permanent exhibit, ethnographic and archaeological research, and its archive and collections housed in shi's state-of-the-art walter soboleff building. Sealaska Heritage develops and oversees scientific and public policy research that supports shi's mission. These projects contribute to the increase of knowledge about tlingit, haida, and tsimshian cultures and history.

Other programs including the scholarship program, traditional celebrations and the Sealaska Heritage retail store.