Tribes, Educators Gathering for Conference

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Created on Wednesday, 11 September 2024 15:35

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By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
    Gathering speakers and educators, elders and culture bearers from across Southeast, with others arriving from farther afield, this year’s Wooshteen Kanaxhtulaneegi Haa At Wuskoowu, or Sharing Our Knowledge, conference will focus on the central topic of education through a series of workshops, seminars and presentations beginning Thursday and running through Sunday.
    The event, held intermittently since 1993 is a gathering of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes and clans, and the general public is invited.

Isabelle Qian, in Sitka through the Alaska Fellows Program, helps fillet salmon this morning on the SJ campus for this evening’s Warming of the Hands ceremony. The dinner at Odess Theater from 6 to 8 p.m. kicks off the Wooshteen Kanaxhtulaneegi Haa At Wuskoowu, or Sharing Our Knowledge, conference. The conference will focus on the central topic of education through a series of workshops, seminars and presentations beginning Thursday and running through Sunday. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

    In keeping with the larger topic of education, the first keynote address will take up the state and federal compacting with tribes to form and fund schools. That discussion will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday in Odess Theater on the SJ Campus. Speakers will be Mischa Jackson, of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska; Sonya Skan of the Ketchikan Indian Council; and Paul Berg of the Douglas Indian Association.
    The theme of the conference is “Haa Dachxanx’i Yan at Wuskoowu Yis” in Tlingit, or “Wisdom for Our Grandchildren” in English. Conference program coordinator Joaqlin Estus told the Sentinel the idea that binds together various ideas of education and upbringing across time.
    “That’s why we’re starting off with a session on compacting, which a lot of people don’t know much about,” Estus said. “It’s easily confused with contracting, so people think it has to do, well, with contracts, and what it actually has to do with is self determination. If a tribe is able to compact with the state or federal government, they get money with very few strings attached, but with the directive to work on education, for instance. So this is how SEARHC got its start, was through federal compacting... Educational compacting is new, but we hope it’s going to become the same kind of model.”
    Other presentations focused on education policy will be a discussion on the next 20 years of education given by Mischa Jackson, Chookangee Tláa, and Jasmine James, Aa Geich’, at Odess Theater at 3:15 p.m. Thursday.
    The keynote address by Emil Notti, the first president of the Alaska Federation of Natives and a Mt. Edgecumbe High School alumnus, is scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday. His talk is titled “From Dog Teams to the Space Race, and Winning the Fight for Land Claims—How Education Shaped a Movement.”
    The full schedule is below. Other events will include a session of Tlingit language and a spelling bee, as well as a talk on the history of Tlingit-Presbyterian interactions and a demonstration of Chilkat weaving.
    The overarching focus on education, organizer Sabena Allen said, is well suited to the conference.
    “It’s a really beautiful theme, and I think it’s really fitting, as some of my graduate research is focused on Tlingit oral history. And so as a Tlingit scholar, and someone who’s also a scholar of Tlingit culture, I think this is a really fitting theme culturally,” she said. “And I also think that it’s interesting how because of Outer Coast involvement, for example, there’s different ways in which transference of knowledge is kind of being brought into the conference.”
    Allen, who is from Sitka, is now a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago. At this week’s events, she will serve as a master of ceremonies and announcer, and helped coordinate the conference in conjunction with Sitka Tribe of Alaska.
    “There’s a lot to learn from a lot of really amazing culture bearers and scholars who will be there,” Allen said. “We want as many people to be able to come and share in the conference as possible.”
    The original conference, held in 1993 in Haines, was the brainchild of Andrew Hope III, a prominent culture bearer and author of “Will the Time Ever Come? A Tlingit Source Book.”
    Joaqlin Estus said his legacy remains alive in the conference.
    “He was Kiks.adi, he passed away at a relatively young age (in 2008), but I think that it was his dream to bring together academicians and artists and cultural bearers, elders to learn from each other,” Estus said. “And I think that the conference has really stayed true to his wish for the purpose of it and so people can find out, they’ll see his dream realized by attending the conference.”
    Estus hopes many Sitkans turn out to some of the events slated for the week and weekend,
    “It’s open to the public, and there are a wide range of topics, everything having to do with First Nations and Alaska Native tribes of Southeast Alaska and the Yukon. And you can really learn a lot and be entertained, and you’ll find it very interesting,” she said.

Wednesday
6 to 8 p.m. Warming of the Hands ceremony at Odess Theater

Thursday
7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast at Odess Theater provided by Haa Too Yei Yatee
8:30 to 9 a.m. Conference Welcome at Odess Theater
9 to 10 a.m. At Odess Theater, Keynote Panel Discussion: What is Compacting? Education and Indigenous Sovereignty in Alaska, Mischa Jackson (Tlingit & Haida), Sonya Skan (Ketchikan Indian Council), Paul Berg (Douglas Indian Association). Moderated by Lisa Milne Dewitt and Matthew Spellberg
10:15 to 10:45 a.m. At Odess Theater, Ishmael Hope, Khaagwáask’ on Tlingit Intellectual History: The Legacies of Nora Dauenhauer, Keixwnéi; Louis Shotridge, Stuwukaa; and Andy Hope, Xaastánch
10:15 to 11:15 a.m. At Odess 203, Linda Frame,  Scott Burton, Kashook’ kaawadaayi aa, Angie Wright, Film Screening and Discussion about the Making of “Koowutyas.ein X’ayax A: The Teachings of Daniel Brown”
10:15 to 10:45 a.m. At Yawe 111 Bunn-Marcuse, “Lost in Translation: How Language Can Hide or Seek Knowledge in Indigenous Arts”
10:45 to 11:15 a.m. At Yaw 111, Kus.een Rebecca Poulson, Presbyterians in Lingit Aani: The Origins of the Sitka Mission
11:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Odess Theater, Peter Metcalfe,  Bushgaa The Andrew Hope III Legacy Project 1993-2022 Video Catalog
11:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Odess 203 Emily Kudaneek Moore From Táakw.àani to Dáasaxawk: Following the Path of the Taant’a Kwaan
11:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Yaw 111, Ellen Carrlee Results from the Chilkat Dye Project
Noon to 1 p.m. Sheldon Jackson Museum Open House
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.At Odess Theater, Anne Fuller X’atulitseen: Recording Memories and Stories
1:30 to 2:30 p.m.At Odess 203, Ljaakk’ Alice Taff, Paul Shannon, David Beck Bringing Tlingit and Deg Xinag  Recordings to Life on the Web
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. At Yaw 111, Ben Paul Ku-nuX-nusti  “Then Fight for It” Fred Paul, Attorney at Law, His Life and Wisdom
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Ay Yaw 105, Ed Peele & Shk’awulyéil Ralph Brady Drum Making & Cedar Bark Weaving (Sponsored by the Herring Protectors)
2:45 to 3:45 p.m. At Odess Theater, Mischa Jackson, Chookangee Tláa & Jasmine James, Aa Geich’ Echoes of Wisdom: Shaping the Next 20 Years of Education
2:45 to 3:15 p.m. At Yaw 111, Lisa X’unyéil Worl  The Hoonah School Ku.eex’: Film and Discussion
2:45 to 4:45 p.m. At Yaw 105, Ed Peele & Shk’awulyéil Ralph Brady Drum Making & Cedar Bark Weaving (Sponsored by the Herring Protectors)
3:15 to 3:45 p.m. At Odess 203, Kayaaní Sisters: Kaasei Naomi Michalsen, Kayaaní Shaawat Trixie Bennett, K’asheech Tláa Louise Brady, Shaagunasstaa Bob Sam Traditional Plants & Wellness: Alaska Plant Teachings & Respectful Harvesting 
3:15 to 3:45 p.m. At Yaw 111, Kaakasgooxu Peter Stanton Decolonizing the Timeline of Alaska History
3:45 to 4:45 p.m. At Odess Theater, Megan A. Smetzer Beyond Painful Beauty: Untold Stories and Unanswered Questions
3:45 to 4:45 p.m. At Yaw 111, Zachary R. Jones “Góon dáanaa een áwé kawduwat’íý’ ax jeeyís yá kées, This bracelet was pounded out of a gold coin for me,” A History of Sitka Tlingit Silversmiths
7 to 8 p.m. At Odess Theater, Yeilt’ooch’ Tláa for Carol Geddes (Shaan Tlein) Picturing a People: George Johnston; Tlingit Photographer (Film Screening)
7 to 8 p.m. At Odess 203, ashgé Daphne Wright Tlingit Jeopardy and Card Games
7 to 8 p.m. At Odess Dance Studio, Rachel Moreno Native Youth Olympic

Friday
8:00 to 8:30 a.m. Breakfast (provided by SEARHC, Outer Coast, and Rachel Moreno)
9 to 10 a.m. Keynote: From Dog Teams to the Space Race, and Winning the Fight for Land Claims—How Education Shaped a Movement, Emil Notti
10:15 to 11:15 a.m. At Odess Theater, Maxine Richert, Barbara T’eishtul.aan Searls, and Rev. Dr. Charles Ensminger, The Process of Acknowledgment, Apology and Reparations for the Racist Closure of the Native Church as a Model
10:15 to 11:15 a.m. At Odess 203, Michael Kraemer, Sheet’ká Tlingit Labor during the Russian Colonial Period
10:15 to 11:15 a.m. At Yaw 111, Shkooyeil Tim Hall, Spaced Repetition Audio Training in Language Learning
10:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Sitka National Historical Park, Zachary Jones, Supporting Chilkat Weavers - Historic Weavings Review
11:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Odess Theater, Lduteen Jerrick Hope-Lang and Keinasxíx Shannon Crossley, Point House Revitalization/ Sitka Indian Village Restoration/ Saving Sitka’s Clan Houses
11:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Odess 203, Tsiskw Tláa Elizabeth Kunibe (translation: Mother of Little Birds, translated by Fred White), Oral Tradition in the 90th US Congress
Noon to 1 p.m. At Odess Theater, luncheon, Jermaine Ross-Allam, The Great Re-Encounter
1:30 to 2 p.m. At Odess 203, Lily Hope, Chilkat Weaving: Endangered No More
1:30 to 2 p.m. At Yaw 111, Jennifer Bowen, Copper Economy of the Northern Territories
1:30 to 5:30 p.m. At Yaw 105, Ed Peele & Shk’awulyéil Ralph Brady, Drum Making and Cedar Bark Weaving (Sponsored by the Herring Protectors)
2 to 2:30 p.m. At Odess 203, Kus.een Rebecca Poulson, Deaths in Sitka in the 1930s
2 to 2:30 p.m. At Yaw 111, Koodeik’ Joseph Marks, Assembling Ideologies: Roles in the Production of Tlingit Language Reclamation Materials
2 to 5:30 p.m. At Upper Odess lobby, Lily Hope, Weavers Gathering
2:45 to 3:45 p.m. At Odess Theater, Yakdushi, Kiyeis Tlaa, Tools to Teach & Learn Tlingit / 6th Annual International Tlingit Spelling Bee
2:45 to 3:45 p.m. At Odess 203, Xeetl’ee Katelyn Stiles, Yee eede Tooshi aa [We sing to you]: Remapping Yaaw Teiyí [Herring Rock] with song and dance
2:45 to 4;15 p.m. At Yaw 111, Laurence Goldin, “The Land is Ours”: Screening and Q&A
3:45 to 4:45 p.m. At Odess 203, Benjamin Kucher, Archaeology as a Tool for Indigenous Sovereignty
7 to 8 p.m. At Odess Theater, Yeidikook’áa & Kich.naalx, Tlingit Song & Dance
7 to 8 p.m. At Odess 203, Dakáa Xoo Xéi Mary Beth Moss, Kudeiyatóon Darlene See, “Healing Across the Waters” Film Screening

Saturday
9 to 10 a.m. At Odess Theater, Gudrun Bucher, Ivonne Kaiser, “Russian America” in Oldenburg, Germany
9 to 10 a.m. At Odess 203, Vivian Mork and Josh Smith, How to Propagate our Local Berries!
10:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Odess Theater, Yakdushi & Kiyeis Tlaa, Culture & Place Based Knowledge in Language Learning Spaces
10:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Odess 203, Shxéi, Kaanagoot & former SNEP Students, Haa Léelk’u Hás Haa Éet Aawlitoo.át - Our Grandparents’ Teachings
10:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Yaw 111, Daax Ku Dein, Tleikw xoo (Among the berries) Tommy Jimmie Jr., Nature’s Point of View from Tlingit Stories and Parables to Ceremony
10:15 to 11:45 a.m. At Sitka National Historical Park, Vivian Mork, Traditional Foods and Medicines Outdoor Walk
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. At Odess Theater, Dukwu Eric Hollinger, Recent 3D Projects with Wrangell Cooperative Association and Teikweidi Clan Leader Dan Brown
1:30 to 2:30 p.m At Odess 203,.Seenaakw’ Gail Dabaluz, Indigenous Language Revitalization Efforts from a Northern Tlingit Perspective
1:30 to 2 p.m. At Yaw 111, Gunaak’w Sergei Kan, Portraying the Tlingit People: Elbridge W. Merrill vs. William H. Case and Horace H. Draper
2 to 2:30 p.m. At Yaw 111, Lucy Kudaneek Daax Keil Atch Fowler Williams, Footsteps Across the Sky: Louis Shotridge and Tlingit Traditional Knowledge
3:30 to 4:30 p.m. At Odess Theater, Sitka Native Education Program Memorial
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. At Odess Theater, Banquet Honoring the Sitka Native Education Program (in Odess with purchased ticket)

Sunday
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., At Crescent Harbor, boat Trip, The World of Sheet’ka Kwaan.

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