Discipline and Obedience to the Traditions of Our Ancestors
SPRING 2025 EDITION ON THE INSIDE
BRINGING LANGUAGE & CULTURE INTO EARLY LEARNING
TIDAL NETWORK GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY
Strengthening Community Safety with the VPSO Program
Southern RPSO Zachary West (Far Left) and Northern RPSO Sean Ahshapanek (Second from Right)
Service, Integrity, Respect, Teamwork. These are just some of the core values of the Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program, which plays a vital role in providing law enforcement, emergency services and community safety in Alaska’s villages.
Tlingit & Haida has managed the Southeast Alaska VPSO program since 2010, serving eight communities. VPSOs are trained to respond to emergencies, including search and rescue, fire protection, medical assistance, crime prevention, and basic law enforcement.
In 2024, Tlingit & Haida expanded the program to include Klukwan, Alaska and two Regional Public Safety Officer (RPSO) positions. These roles offer crucial oversight and support, improving service delivery and response in rural communities.
Southeast Alaska VPSO Program Numbers
8
2,347
9
Message from Leadership
Dear Tribal Citizens,
I hope you all are emerging from winter and feeling the promise of spring unfolding. This time of transition marks a season of renewal and growth for our children too. It is an opportunity to pass down our traditions to ensure our future generations are grounded in the wisdom of our culture.
From fishing to beach harvesting and berry picking, these activities are not only about survival, they are about preserving the cultural fabric that has connected us to our homelands for centuries. As the seasons change, so too do the opportunities to share this knowledge with our children, ensuring they are equipped with place-based learning and culturally relevant practices that will guide them through life.
We are dedicated to nurturing our children with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in both modern and traditional worlds. Through programs under our Early Education Division, we are planting seeds of cultural pride and respect for our heritage. These programs are designed to give our youngest citizens the tools they need to embrace their Indigenous identity while learning the importance of community, responsibility and connection to the land.
Our vision extends beyond as we also recognize the need for stronger educational infrastructure. Tlingit & Haida is committed to the development of a Juneau Education Campus, providing a central hub for cultural learning, academic success, and community engagement.
The campus will be a place where our children, parents and elders can come together to strengthen our bonds and nurture the next generation of leaders.
We are also excited to partner with the Klawock Cooperative Association and Craig Tribal Association to develop Early Education campuses in Klawock and Craig, Alaska, ensuring the benefits of this vision are felt in our rural communities as well.
Please consider joining Tlingit & Haida in making these dreams a reality. Donations to the start-up funds for our education campuses will help build a brighter future for all tribal citizens. Your contributions will ensure our children grow with the tools they need to succeed, rooted in their culture and connected to their community.
Let's come together to invest in the future of our children, communities and culture. Please consider being a part of our journey to a brighter tomorrow for all tribal citizens.
Chalyee Éesh, Richard J. Peterson Tlingit & Haida President Gunalchéesh, Háw’aa
Bringing Language & Culture into Early Learning
Tlingit & Haida's Early Education Programs
Connecting kids to their culture means incorporating language and art in the classroom at an early age.
Tlingit & Haida’s Early Education Division aims to do that by creating a core curriculum centered around the Southeast Alaska Traditional Tribal Values.
“We’re looking at our activities through an Indigenous lens,” said Ethan Petticrew, Senior Director of Early Education. “This gives our children exposure to educational opportunities and creates in them a sense of pride and understanding of who we are.”
The Early Education Division encompasses five programs: Child Care Development,
Head Start, Little Eagles and Ravens Nest (LEARN), and Haa Yoo X’atángi Kúdi Lingít Immersion in Juneau, Alaska and Xaad Kíl Immersion in Craig, Klawock and Hydaburg, Alaska.
In the LEARN classrooms, language is incorporated in subtle ways; a poster telling kids to listen,“Kinyis.aax” or a short Lingít song during circle time.
There are 10 Head Start locations around Southeast Alaska that serve children ages three to five.
Staff engage the kids in preschool-friendly activities with an Indigenous twist.
In Wrangell, teachers helped their students create regalia out of construction paper, using glitter “beads” to line the edges of the octopus bags and dance bibs.
We need to live our values, not just talk about them and teach about them.
Petersburg hosted a family drum making night so each child can have their own drum to use in class.
At the Tashukaa classroom in Juneau, teacher Stacy Roberts leads the kids in a Lingít version of the classic song “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.”
“We need to live our values, not just talk about them and teach about them,” Ethan said.
After the generational trauma and language loss inflicted by boarding schools, Tlingit & Haida is creating a new generation of speakers by bringing traditional languages into the classroom through immersion programs.
“Has du eetíx' x'aakeidí sákw yei n atee haa yátx'ig̱. Let it be that our children are the
seeds left in their remains,” said Daaljíni Cruise, Tlingit Immersion Manager for Haa Yoo X’atángi Kúdi, the Lingít language immersion nest that started in 2019.
Only Lingít is spoken in the classroom so the children can be fully absorbed in hearing their Native tongue. Daaljíni’s two older children graduated from the program and her three-yearold is one of six students in the nest this year.
“I think, for Tlingit & Haida to be invested in our language and invested in our children, is to be invested in our community,” Daaljíni said.
That investment is being made on Prince of Wales Island as well where the Tribe plans to increase Lingít
language opportunities and open three Xaad Kíl preschool immersion classrooms.
Early Education Mission
We nurture and empower the identity and confidence of children and families through education rooted in culture, language, and tribal values, fostering connections and resilience.
Vision
To build a resilient foundation of sovereign education, through cultural practice, strengthening our languages, fostering a deep sense of community, and well-being for generations to come.
SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH A VIDEO
Tidal Network Groundbreaking Ceremony
First Permanent Internet Tower in Wrangell
Just as the tides connect us, Tidal Network is creating opportunities and fostering connections across Southeast Alaska.
Tidal Network is partnering with communities in Southeast to help close the digital divide. In February 2025, a significant milestone was reached with the groundbreaking of a new broadband tower in Wrangell, Alaska. The event, joined by Tlingit & Haida's Executive Council, marked the beginning of a project funded by a $50 million federal grant to build similar towers across Southeast Alaska.
Located three miles from downtown Wrangell, the new tower will bring reliable service to an area that has long struggled with connectivity. Tidal Network Director Chris Cropley shared the tower is expected to be operational by mid-summer, with service options available for residents starting $89.99 per month.
Stay tuned for more updates as Tidal Network continues to expand access and strengthen connections across the region.
SIGN Season Kick-Off on Prince of Wales
Alaska Native people have stewarded and cared for our traditional homelands since time immemorial. As times change, there’s a need to collect and share data, and create a digital footprint for stewardship. That’s where the Seacoast Indigenous Guardians Network (SIGN) comes in.
Tlingit & Haida’s costewardship agreement with the U.S. Forest Service serves as a model and recognizes the critical role and inherent sovereignty of tribes in all aspects of stewardship of our homelands and waters and the importance of a co-management structure to monitor, protect, restore, and manage our natural and cultural resources for our future generations.
For the first time, every Guardian from around Southeast Alaska met in Craig, Alaska for a three-day season kickoff. Coordinator Brandon Ware is new to the role and wanted to ensure there was an atmosphere of teamwork among the group. SIGN invited Jon Rowan and Anthony Christianson to share their traditional knowledge with the group.
Brandon Ware speaks to the guardians at the season kick-off
The Guardians collect data from their respective communities based on what’s important to their local tribes, like stream temperatures, surveying sea otter populations or salmon escapements. Each tribe’s data is used at their discretion to help their ecosystem.
Movers & Shakers
Holly Snowball Morales, 477 Director of Innovation and Development
Holly is the Tribe's new 477 Director of Innovation and Development. In this new role, Holly will work with 477 Manager Jesse Parr to lead the development and implementation of innovative strategies to enhance the effectiveness and impact of the the Tribe's 477 Plan. She was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and is Yup’ik and Irish.
Margaret McMillan, Donor Relations Manager
Tlingit & Haida welcomes Margaret "Maggie" as the Donor Relations Manager. In this role, she will develop and execute fundraising strategies to support the Juneau Education Campus. Prior to joining the Tribe, she was the Executive Director of the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce. Her background in non-profit leadership, fundraising and large-scale event planning can develop sustainable funding strategies.
Jaime Smith, Hotel Operations Manager
Jaime has joined the Tribe as Hotel Operations Manager for the Driftwood Lodge. She has 25 years of experience in the hospitality and customer service industry, working both the front and back of the house. Raised in the Washington DC area, she is excited to be living in Juneau and looking forward to working with Tlingit & Haida to provide warmth and hospitality to the greater community.
Tristan Douville, Special Projects Manager - Indigenous Stewardship Program
Tristan (Dinaawaséi) Douville has been promoted to Special Projects Manager for the Indigenous Stewardship programs. Prior to joining the Tribe, Tristan served as a Presidential Appointee in the Biden-Harris Administration in Washington, D.C. Tristan grew up in Sháan Séet Kwáan (Craig) and is Lingít, Ch’áak, Shankwʼeidí, Taakw.aaneidí yádi, and Deisheetaan dachx̱án. Tristan has been with the Tribe since 2024.
Important Dates
April Events
1-30: Child Abuse Prevention Month
4-6: Traditional Games - Juneau, AK
14: Executive Council Meeting - Juneau, AK
16-18: 90th Annual Tribal AssemblyJuneau, AK
18: President's Awards Banquet & Education Fundraiser - Juneau, AK
30: National Denim Day
May Events
1-31: Mental Health Awareness Month 1-31: Foster Care Appreciation Month 5: National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day
7: Tribal Enrollment Application Deadline
14-16: Enrollment Committee MeetingJuneau, AK
16: Executive Council Meeting - Virtual 26: Memorial Day (Offices Closed)
June Events
13: Executive Council Meeting - Virtual 19: Tlingit & Haida Day
23: Tlingit & Haida Day Observed (Offices Closed)
PO Box 255000
Juneau AK 99802
toll free 800.344.1432
After years in the making, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website! With a clean and intuitive interface, it seamlessly integrates traditional language, design, and images to create an engaging user experience. Check out the interactive Services portal as your go-to destination for information on our wealth of services and programs. Discover exciting events like culture classes, stay updated with the latest news articles, and much more. Dive in now and explore all that we have to offer tribal citizens— visit our website today! CHECK OUT OUR FRESH LOOKLIVE NOW!
