Sealaska Heritage Institute: 2025 Annual Report | Sealaska Heritage

Sealaska Heritage is a tribal nonprofit founded at the urging of clan leaders and elders in 1980 to perpetuate and enhance the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures. This video shows a few highlights of SHI's programming in 2025. Joining us in celebrating this very special moment, a moment where another one of our clans has its totem pole raised. We thank you for being here to celebrate with the Tsuktunadee Clan. Gunalchéesh for being here.

In 2025, SHI dedicated its 14th pole for Kutia Dei, or Totem Pole Trail, in Juneau. The pole was carved by Ketchikan Haida artist Lee Wallace and 5 apprentices, and features the Sooktineidi clan crest, a dog salmon swimming in the tall grass at the mouth of a creek before going into the creek to spawn. The pole is one of 30 totems planned for the Juneau waterfront.

In 2025, SHI's art programs continue to grow across disciplines. Throughout the year, SHI offered classes, workshops, and mentor-apprenticeships to more than 6,600 people from 69 communities in Alaska and the lower 48. In 2025, SHI celebrated a major milestone with the official opening of its Indigenous Science Building, which will be a hub for SHI's education programs and hands-on learning grounded in Indigenous knowledge, languages, and values. The facility features a traditional food kitchen and 3 cutting-edge spaces, including digital media, fabrication, and research labs. SHI also launched a new program to restore traditional pathways to strength, leadership, and community for Alaska Native young men.

The Cultural Warriors program pairs Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian young men with Alaska Native mentors in 7 Southeast communities.

SHI released the first instructional videos on the Tlingit gesture system in 2025, marking a major step forward in efforts to document and teach this form of Indigenous nonverbal communication.

The videos are available on SHI's YouTube channel and feature demonstrations of more than 100 gestures. Shi hosted its annual Culturally Responsive Education Conference, which attracted more than 430 teachers from around the world. In all, the institute's education department served more than 12,000 people from 115 communities in Alaska, the Lower 48, Canada, and elsewhere. Aheeyee eeyaa. Aheeyee eeyaa.

In 2025, SHI unveiled a new exhibit that explored the many ways Raven continues to shape the cultural, environmental, and artistic landscapes of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people. Guest curated by Tlingit Miranda Belarde-Lewis, the exhibition presented Raven not just as a figure of myth, but as a living presence embedded in place names, traditional stories, and contemporary art. Also in 2025, SHI partnered with the Übersee Museum Bremen to present Living Things: The Tlingit Collection from Alaska. The Institute also digitized more than 20,000 photographs made by the late Tlingit traditional scholar and master storyteller Cyril George Sr. of Angoon. George's family donated the collection to the Institute in 2020.

In all, SHI's collections and exhibits department served more than 9,000 people in 2025. In 2025, SHI published Yeex Kunda Yeyi: Adventures of Raven, Volume 5 in the Institute's Classics of Tlingit Oral Literature series. It's the first book to present raven stories transcribed directly from recordings of oral performances in the Tlingit language and is the most comprehensive publication on the genre to date. The volume includes 50 stories by 7 Tlingit storytellers born between 1870 and 1915.

SHI is engaged in public policy issues at the federal, state, and city government levels to advocate for the interests of Alaska Native people. In 2025, SHI helped facilitate an apology by the United States Army for its devastating bombardments of the village of Wrangell in 1869. The United States Army now hereby honors the Lingít people, their language, their culture, and their ancestral lands. Recognizes the special relationship the United States has with Indian tribes and the solemn covenant with the land that we share.

Acknowledges the historical significance of this event in which wrongful and undeserved military action resulted in injury, death, and destruction at Kachinok. Apologizes to all the Lingit people for the pain and suffering and generational trauma inflicted by the 1869 bombardment of Kachanak, and regrets the long delay in issuing this formal apology and commits to fostering a positive relationship with all Lingit peoples for the benefit of current and future generations. This video shows highlights of some of SHI's programming. For more, see sealaskaheritage.org.

Ahe hi ia! Gunaat chish ayaya ad bukhaa?

Kunaat shi-ish—ayayah at Bukhara—ahey hii iiyaah?! Koonaaat chi-sh-a-yai-yeah-at-buk-haaa?... Ah-hee heee iiahh??? Goonaat-chiish aa-eeya-ad bunkhaha—heehiiiyyaaaa??!? Ahe hi ia kunaal tshish ayaya atbucha!

Ah hey hee eeyah ah hay hii eaayyya? Kunaaal tshish ayaya atbucha?! Ayheyhiiiya... Uhhee hi eeaaayah—. Khunatal Tsisht-Ayeya Atbuchha: "Ah yeeeee eyyah..." uh-heehi-eeaiahhhhhh!

...Kunaalt shish ayaiyyyaaaat-buuh-haaaa." Yahhayhi-yaaa-ahey-heeaahyaaaghghgrrr!!! You fuckers go away from me now!! Fucker off you motherfuckers!!!! I am not afraid of Gunal this shit anymore!!!!! Fuck it all up for yourself too!!.

Fucking suck my dick guys. Go ahead then fucking do your own thing man. Let's just have fun together dude. Yeah yeah ya Yeah ha haha yay hayaaha that was great baby girl yes indeed she did good job tshish on her lesson today right there everyone!? Yes sir boy oh ho wow look who showed back again after 2 years ago huh??

Look what happened to him when we left his ayayya wife behind lol okay let us continue our class so far they're learning their vowels very well here everybody has learned them quite nicely but some students need more time than others like Emanuela or Rafaella because both were absent last week which means no homework done yesterday night before school starts atbukha tomorrow morning hopefully though if only God would allow ummm excuse me teacher can't hear anything over these kids' voices sorry about that please don't mind anyone else other people talking except myself while teaching lessons thank god nobody got hurt yet anyways enough talk hello children how many times shall I say goodbye till next Friday afternoon?, come one listen carefully once again remember those sounds 'oooh,' 'ooooh.' Okay stop saying ooooooohs ahé already damnit boys be quiet fellas be silent alright anyway welcome Mrs. Cebula back into action ladies gentlemen nice work by every student out until lunchtime bye girls see you soon peace-out hi ciao-ciaos. Ia! Ahé hi ia! Gunal tshish ayaya atbukha ahé hii ya! Ahê hi iyya!

Gunal tshish ayayahat bukha... Ahehi ia-a-héehiii-ia—. Gunaal tschissha-yah-at-buh-khá? Ahe hi ia! Connahtchish ayaya atwucha— Ah-hee heee-yaah?

Kon-naaath-cheesh ah-yayaa-at-wu-chaaa... Hehhee iyyaaaaanneehi yaaghun naatcheesha yayah ata wuchaaa! Huh-huu-uuaagghhh?! Ahe hi ia kunas tish ayaya at bukha! Ah hee hii iya ah heyhee ii ya kunas tish ayayaaat bukhā!

Ah hee hī iii yah— ah-heh-hey-hi-i-yah gunaash tish ayaya-at-bukha! Ah hee hī ii iyá ah-heyhee ii yayáh... Gunal chish ayaya at bukha ah-hee heeyah! Ah-heeheyya— gunaalchh-ish-ayayah-at-buk-haa' —ahaheeheeeya? Aheaheyiya?!

Guunal-chish-a-yaiyah—at-bu-kha—aheihiyia? Gunaalschi-shi-Aya-Yaaa'-at-Buh-Haaaa'?... Hahaha!? Heeeehiiiyeah?? Goonaalseech-iAyeYAAH-atBuKHA?-HaHeEHiIYaHH!!!