We are Stewards of the Air, Land and Sea
UNVEILING AAN HÍT
SUMMER 2025 EDITION ON THE INSIDE
MAKING SAAK EIXÍ CONNECTS KIDS TO CULTURE
NDN GIRLS BOOK DROP
Tlingit & Haida Unveils Aan Hít (Village House)
Aan Hít (Village House) is a cultural and economic hub in downtown Juneau, AK, established as part of Tlingit & Haida's Land Back initiative and commitment to economic sovereignty. Located in a historic, fully renovated building at 219 South Franklin Street, Aan Hít serves as a vibrant space for cultural exchange, tribal enterprise, and community empowerment.
The facility features:
• Sacred Grounds Café: A warm, welcoming café featuring locally roasted coffee, hot and cold drinks, grab-and-go meals, and baked goods prepared by Smokehouse Catering.
• Retail Shop: A curated storefront showcasing Shop Tlingit & Haida merchandise, tribal citizen consignment artwork, and other Northwest Coast Native products.
• Tribal Citizen Artisan Vendor Tables: Located on the second floor, these tables offer tribal citizen artists a prime space to showcase and sell their work. Online reservations open now, with tables available for just $50/day. See registration link below.
• Printing & Engraving Business: The third floor houses the Tribe’s expanding entrepreneurial ventures in silk screen printing, embroidery, and engraving. Apply today!
Aan Hít, our new downtown Juneau facility, is now accepting applications for Tribal Citizen Artisan wholesale and vendor table opportunities. This is your chance to share your story, showcase your craft, and sell your art in the heart of the community!
*Must be an enrolled Certified Tribal Artist
Message from Leadership
Dear Tribal Citizens,
Tlingit & Haida’s Executive Council has been steadfast in advocacy, engaging directly with federal agencies, congressional leaders, and national coalitions to defend the rights of our people and ensure federal trust responsibilities are upheld.
While tribal consultation was held with the U.S. Department of Interior, other federal agencies have yet to conduct tribal consultations even though several actions have been taken that could seriously impact Alaska tribes like the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to rescind the Roadless Rule protections for the Tongass National Forest.
We issued a formal letter to the USDA calling for the immediate suspension of the Roadless Rule rescission and requesting meaningful, government-to-government consultation. The Tongass is not just a forest. It is our ancestral homeland. It is the source of our identity, our food security, our knowledge systems, and our stewardship responsibilities. Any decision that threatens its ecological integrity without our consent is a direct affront to our sovereignty and way of life.
Any decision made without tribal consultation with the 20 federally recognized tribes in Southeast Alaska is in direct violation of federal law and trust obligations.
Our opposition extends beyond the Tongass. Tlingit & Haida issued a strong and unequivocal position against the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (H.R. 1) and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s draft budget reconciliation proposal. Both
represent an alarming shift that undermines Indigenous sovereignty, guts environmental protections, and threatens the very fabric of rural and Native communities.
While we appreciate amendments that exempt Alaska Natives, the principle remains—policy that affects us must be made with us, not imposed on us.
As we move forward, Tlingit & Haida remains committed to protecting our lands, people, and future. We will continue to raise our voice to ensure federal agencies and lawmakers honor their commitments and work with us to shape a future that reflects our values, our rights, and our stewardship of these lands.
Our people have a strong legacy of advocacy, from the early efforts of the Alaska Native Brotherhood and Alaska Native Sisterhood to the work we carry forward today. We encourage all citizens to stay engaged, speak up, and make your voice heard. Your advocacy strengthens our sovereignty and our future.
Thank you to all who continue to stand with us in this work. Together, we are strong.
Chalyee Éesh, Richard J. Peterson Tlingit & Haida President Gunalchéesh, Háw’aa
Making Saak Eix í Connects Kids to Culture
Tlingit & Haida's Immersion Programs
The children leaned over the pit filled with fermented saak (hooligan), their eyes wide, taking in every sight, sound and smell.
“That smells yummy,” four-year-old Ukoonik remarked.
Ukoonik is one of the six preschoolers in Tlingit & Haida’s Haa Yoo X’atángi Kúdi Language Nest, a Lingít immersion program in Juneau, AK.
For the first time, the kids were able to get out of the classroom and embark on an extended field trip with their families and the preschool teachers to Haines, AK to learn how to make saak eixí (hooligan grease).
“When I signed him up for preschool, I thought it would be just about the language, but it’s so much more than that. We get to have a preschool trip and come out and be in the most beautiful place in the world,” said Ukoonik’s mom, Allison Waid.
Tlingit Language Manager, Daaljíni Cruise, said this kind of experience is more than place-based education – it’s land-based.
“This is a process that not a lot of people know how to do anymore, so for them to observe this and be out on the land, it just brings so much joy to my heart,” Daaljíni said.
For three days, families filtered in and out of camp. Kids played on the sandbar of the Chilkat River while their parents took turns chopping the saak. The Haa Yoo X’atángi Kúdi teachers drummed and sang as the woodsy scent of campfire smoke and smelt wafted through the air.
Making traditional foods is one way of connecting kids to their culture, creating lasting memories through shared meals and time out on the land together.
"For them to observe this and be out on the land, it just brings so much joy to my heart.”
SCAN THE QR CODE TO WATCH A VIDEO
From Forest to Feast
Cooking with Alaska’s Summer Harvest
FOLLOW ALONG WITH A VIDEO TUTORIAL
NDN Girls Book Club Drop Brings More Indigenous Literature to Southeast Alaska Students
Tlingit & Haida x NDN Girls Book Club
Representation matters, especially when it comes to the books kids are reading. Tlingit & Haida partnered with the NDN Girls Book Club to host free book drops around Southeast Alaska to get more books by Indigenous authors into the hands of tribal citizen youth.
“They are important parts of their community and the greater world. They’re part of a larger, beautiful mosaic of Indigenous nations around the world,” said Kinsale Drake, a Diné poet and playwright.
For the 2025 book drop, the NDN Girls Book Club joined with Tlingit & Haida to share thousands of books with kids around Southeast Alaska. Using funding from the Full-Service Community Schools grant, they held book drops in two Juneau schools as well as Yakutat, Angoon, Hydaburg, and Klukwan, AK.
Tlingit & Haida Tribal Education Compact Liaison Mischa Jackson said the project isn’t just about handing out free books— it’s about making sure families get access to Indigenous stories that resonate with their lives.
“Through the support of this grant, we’re building on the strong foundation of family engagement and reading initiatives already happening in our villages and partner schools. This project was a celebration of that work—an opportunity to come together and strengthen our commitment to literacy rooted in culture and community,” Mischa said.
CHECK OUT THE NDN GIRLS READING LIST
NDN Girls Book Club and Tlingit & Haida Book Drop Crew help students from Ka xdig̱oowu Héen Elementary School check out the book selection.
Important Dates
July
1: Alumni Scholarship Application Period Opens
4: Fourth of July Holiday (Offices Closed)
12: Tlingit & Haida Washington Chapter Picnic • Edmonds City Park, WA
19: Back to School Backpack Fair • Juneau, AK
17-18: Executive Council Meeting • Haines, AK
24-27: Haa Kusteeyi • Carcross, YT
August
9: Youth Healing Gathering • Everett, WA
22: Executive Council Meeting (Virtual)
25-28: Southeast Tribal Environmental Forum • Juneau, AK
September
1: Labor Day (Offices Closed) 15: Alumni Scholarship Application Deadline
16-18: Southeast Conference Annual Meeting • Sitka, AK
19: Executive Council Meeting • Juneau, AK
October
12-15: First Alaskans Institute's Elders & Youth Conference • Anchorage, AK 13: Indigenous Peoples' Day (Offices Closed)
16-18: Alaska Federation of Natives Convention • Anchorage, AK
17: Alaska Day (Offices Closed)
FOR MORE DETAILS, VISIT: WWW.TLINGITANDHAIDA.GOV
Movers & Shakers
Tlingit & Haida is pleased to welcome and congratulate several new managers who bring valuable experience and leadership to their roles.
Cassandra Cropley has been promoted to Manager of Aan Hít, Tlingit & Haida's new retail store and coffee shop in downtown Juneau.
Arielle Halpern joins as Forest Policy and Research Manager, bringing deep knowledge of forest stewardship and policy.
Rain Felkl has been promoted to Deputy Director of Tidal Network, Tlingit & Haida's Broadband department which focuses on broadband infrastructure development projects to ensure Southeast Alaska communities have reliable connectivity.
Tidal Network welcomes Jerry Cochran as Construction Manager for the Telecom Tower Project, leading infrastructure efforts that will expand connectivity.
We’re also excited to welcome Amy Williams as Early Head Start Manager, where she will lead services for our youngest citizens and their families.
