A new 12-acre tribal education campus on a forested hillside behind Fred Meyer and a reimagined 457-acre cultural immersion park near Tea Harbor were unveiled Wednesday at the 89th Tribe Annual This was highlighted in the Tribal Annual Address on the opening morning of the General Assembly. Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
The project combines efforts to restore tribal lands, expand traditional cultural and educational activities, and provide support to students in a state education system that is “failing them,” the statement said. said Tlingit and Haida President Richard Charlie Eesh Peterson in a speech to Congress. Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall. Financing for the project is expected to occur within the next three to four years, with construction expected to begin shortly thereafter.
He also said these projects are part of the tribe's landback efforts, which recently expanded its “footprint” by nearly 750 acres, which itself is part of his commitment to economic and other tribal growth over the past decade as president. He also said that it was part of the overall theme of his speech. For the future. The theme of this year's three-day gathering, which was attended by 118 delegates and many other participants, was “Building a Sustainable Future, Rooted in Tradition.”
Peterson said the educational campus currently includes Tlingit and Haida Head Start, the Har Yo Shatangi Kudi (HYXK) language immersion program, and the Little Eagles and Ravens Nest (LEARN) child care program. It is expected to include tribal programs.
“We are trying to build a village to get the land back,” he said. “This is not just a social movement. It is a way of life for us. It is about taking land that has traditionally been ours, making it ours again, and giving our people the space to thrive. ”
The educational space will offer K-12 and tribal college programs ranging from traditional classroom instruction to hands-on activities such as a greenhouse. The campus is located on 42 acres of tribal land, so there is room for expansion as well as features such as a network of trails, Peterson said.
There will also be an event center with facilities such as a 2,000-seat basketball court, concert space and activity rooms.
“I'm just incredibly proud of this as well,” Peterson said. “This will be a place where we can come together and do our thing, from galas to gold medals. We hope this will be the home for those events and more.”
Indulging his role as a tribal leader calling for immediate and spontaneous action, he urged attendees to honor part of the campus by naming the event center after the longtime state lawmaker from Angoon who passed away in 2021. asked to approve the first official name of
“When I look at this photo, there's a person that always comes to mind,” Peterson said, showing slides from the event center. “And I would like to ask for unanimous consent to call this the Senator Albert Kukesh Gymnasium.”
The audience applauded in approval.
There are plans to establish campuses in other communities, Peterson said.
“We want to build early education campuses in every community, wherever we can get a head start,” he said, showing slides showing conceptual designs for such centers in Klawock and Craig. he said.
In addition to long-standing tribal education programs, Tlingit and Haida have also sought broader public influence, such as requiring native language instruction in the state's K-12 education system. In his speech, Peterson said the Juneau School District is facing a financial crisis that will result in school consolidation, and that this is a symptom of some of the issues affecting other school districts across the state. pointed out that 41% of students are tribals.
“We have to do something because our system is failing students,” he said. “And that’s really what this is all about.”
Another big announcement was the Cultural Immersion Park, with Peterson saying Wednesday that $6.5 million had been sent to buy 457 acres of land near Tea Harbor. Part of the deal includes leasing approximately 20 acres of land to Allen Marine Tours for a pier and bunker.
“We are going to build a village site for the community,” he said, describing it in similar terms to an educational campus. “Again, we want a place where language thrives and art thrives.”
Peterson said one of his goals is to use revenue from tourism to fund many cultural programs. He pointed to the tribe's continued expansion into its industry, including the purchase of a guest lodge and other properties downtown and management work with the U.S. Forest Service at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.
Peterson said the Tlingit and Haida tribes have also made notable achievements in the past year in areas such as health care and public safety, including when a massive landslide struck homes in Wrangell last November. , noted that tribal officials were first on the scene. He said the tribe currently has employees in 21 states and 76 communities.
“In the 10 years since I’ve been here, we’ve grown from 190 employees to just over 600,” he said. “Currently, the employment rate for tribal members is over 70%, and when you include other Alaska Natives and American Indians, the employment rate rises to 80%.”
The three-day legislative agenda includes executive reports on Wednesday, followed by nominations during the afternoon session and election of tribal executives by vote Thursday morning. In addition to officers, the election will also include recognition of emerging leaders and delegate/citizen of the year.
The General Assembly will also feature speeches, debates, and presentations on a wide range of topics, from fisheries management to landless tribe legislation and consideration of tribal resolutions.
Peterson, who is seeking re-election as president, said the example set by previous leaders explains the tribe's success today and its optimism as it plans for the future.
“I always say the reason Tlingit and Haida are successful today is because they didn't have to modify anything,” he said. “We have a multi-generational foundation.”
