By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Assembly at its Tuesday meeting adopted a resolution affirming October as Filipino American History Month, and read a proclamation to recognize November as Native American Heritage Month.
The proclamation of November as Native American Heritage Month, the first of the two ceremonial items on the agenda, calls upon Sitkans “to commemorate the month with appropriate programs, activities and celebrations” honoring Indigenous people.
The proclamation recognizes the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian and Eyak cultures of Southeast, for “their varied and rich cultures” that should be celebrated.
The “Whereas” sections also state that “it is important that honor is bestowed on our state’s indigenous ancestors and today’s tribal elders because if not for the survival and adaptive skills of those who have come before us, Alaska’s tribal cultures may not be as strong as they are today,” and “by continuing to teach the next generation to employ and respect their cultural and spiritual heritage, indigenous languages, oral narratives and traditional foods our state’s local, regional and statewide tribal leadership is nurtured and inspired to serve.”
It concludes by calling on the citizens to honor Native peoples and recognize them for strengthening the diversity of society.
Mayor Steven Eisenbeisz read the proclamation, which was accepted by Lisa Gassman, general manager of Sitka Tribe of Alaska, and greeted with audience applause. Gassman said those wishing to add events to the calendar of programs, activities and celebrations to email anne.davis@sitkatribe-nsn.gov or call 747-3207.
The resolution honoring the Filipino community was co-sponsored by Eisenbeisz and Crystal Duncan.
Duncan introduced the resolution citing the second listed goal in the recently approved Sitka strategic plan: “Improve communications and strengthen relationships within the community and organizations.”
The Whereas section says the city recognizes the celebration of this month as a time of reflection and remembrance and a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture in order to provide an opportunity for all people to learn with a reminder that Filipino American history is American history, and “appreciate more about Filipino Americans and their historic and continued contributions to our city and borough, state and nation.”
Duncan thanked those – including Bennie Grace Nabua and UAA’s Dr. E.J. David – who made suggestions and helped fine-tune the resolution, and said she hopes the Filipino community reads the resolutions and knows that, “We do see you, we appreciate you, and moving forward this will become a staple recognition just like some of the other things we recognize throughout the year.”
The resolution was read by Eisenbeisz, and accepted by Nabua, who expressed her thanks.
“Even if we believe that this is something that is very, very important to our people, we can’t even lift a finger to do something about it,” she said. “Thank you Crystal and Mayor Eisenbeisz for this effort. And it’s not just the recognition, but the intentional recognition that this is ... something that is very important for our youth to acknowledge that they do not have to blend in, that they can actually stand out as a people.”
She said she also was touched that she had been approached by other entities as well, including the Sitka Sound Science Center and the school district, who were “intentional about listening to our people” and making sure the community knows about youths and programs available.
