Heritage Highlights eNews

Yak’éi yee x̱wsateeni – It’s good to see you!

Welcome to the first edition for 2024 of Heritage Highlights, the Goldbelt Heritage Foundation's monthly e-newsletter. Make sure to visit GHF's website, Facebook page, and Instagram daily for the latest news and program updates.

GHF at Goldbelt Shareholder Meetings

This past weekend, GHF's Executive Director, Desiree Jackson, and GHF's Executive Administrator Nicole Anderson, braved the cold to represent GHF at Goldbelt’s Shareholder Opportunity meeting in Anchorage. At the event, they enjoyed engaging with shareholders, answering questions, and sharing information about GHF's programming.

GHF will also be in attendance at the Seattle meeting on February 3, and the Juneau meeting on February 10.

Education Deptartment Finalizes Partnerships

GHF's Education Department continues to gain traction in the development and implementation of the Haa Shuká Tundatáani (HST) curriculum that is available on the HST website.

"HST's framework is designed to help not only students but community members become lifelong learners by breaking down siloed thinking and acknowledging and honoring other ways of knowing and being," said Education Director Anya Nelson.

The Education Department recently finalized partnerships with the Juneau School District, Chatham School District, and Central Council Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska to reimagine the community relationship and involvement with school and learning.

GHF Staff Join Together for Beginning Tlingit Class

The GHF staff was excited to complete their first Beginning Tlingit course at the University of Alaska Southeast with instructor Yarrow Vaara/S'áḵjayéi.

Throughout the course, GHF staff created mini lessons that included:

Count with Me in Haida and Tlingit
Let’s go to the Ku.eex - a Tlingit language game
Six Days of Christmas
Let’s Get to Know Each Other (using the Total Physical Response method).

In addition, GHF program staff supported the integration of Tlingit language curriculum content and resources (e.g. Kuhanti), event phrases and handouts, and routine project transcription and translation efforts.

Cultural Programming Off to a Strong Start in 2024

GHF’s cultural programming continues to grow in 2024 with new offerings and a strong demand for workshops.

"We are so pleased that GHF's cultural workshops have had such a positive response from participants," said Executive Director Desiree Jackson. "There is so much work that goes into organizing and planning all these workshops. We are honored to support cultural learning opportunities for so many. Gunalchéesh to Goldbelt, Inc., for the additional funding to meet the demand of cultural workshop offerings."

During this past quarter, GHF offered more than 20 cultural learning opportunities in Juneau, Anchorage, and Seattle.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Tunic Making with Romay Edenshaw in partnership with the Alaska Native Heritage Center, Jan. 29-Feb. 2, 2024 (Anchorage). Registration closed.

Button Robes with Vicki Soboleff in partnership with Tlingit & Haida, Feb. 3, 4, 11, 16 (Lynnwood, WA). Registration closed.

Moccasin Making with Romay Edenshaw in partnership with the Alaska Native Heritage Center, Feb. 5-9 (Anchorage). Registration closed.

Octopus Bags with Carolyn Noe in partnership with Tlingit & Haida. Session 1: Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27; Session 2: Mar. 5, 12, 19, 26 (Lynnwood, WA). Registration closed.

Button Vests with Jayne Dangeli, Feb. 18, 25, & Mar. 3 (Juneau).

Cedar Hat Weaving with Judy Helgeson, Mar. 13-17 (Juneau).

Schedule subject to change. Check the GHF website for the most current information. Register for classes on the MyGoldbelt Heritage Portal. Please note that registration for some classes may be closed.

Question: Are participants for workshops selected on a first come first serve basis?

Answer: No, the timing of when someone completes their application for a workshop on the GHF portal does not factor into whether or not they receive a spot in the workshop. The programming team reviews each application and takes into consideration several factors to determine each workshop's participant list. This includes:

Goldbelt shareholder status;
Other relevant statuses (e.g. tribal, ANCSA, etc.) or as required by workshop partnership agreements;
Whether the applicant has already participated in a workshop during the prior 12 months;
Workshop skillset requirements.

After the review, if the number of applicants rated with the highest priority exceed the number of open spaces, those participants are selected via a lottery system. The remaining applicants are then placed on a waitlist. While GHF would love to be able to offer placement to all applicants, the popularity and demand for our cultural workshops has required that the Programming team develop this system to ensure fairness and opportunity for all applicants.

This year when you file your PFD application, please consider donating to GHF. Your donation will support our Tlingit culture through:

Cultural preservation
Traditional arts
Language learning
Community partnerships
Educational opportunities

PFD Deadline: March 31, 2024