Sealaska Donates Cedar Logs and Funds Language Revitalization; Reaffirms Commitment to Youth Leadership

Aak’w Kwáan (Juneau, Alaska) — Sealaska is reaffirming its deep commitment to cultural preservation, language revitalization, and youth empowerment through a series of initiatives affirmed at a recent Board of Directors meeting that honor its Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian roots while advancing the future of its people.

The corporation is donating five premium red cedar logs to the community of Ḵéex̱’ Ḵwáan (Kake). Four logs will be carved into Kootéeyaa (totem poles) for the community’s tribal house, and the fifth will commemorate the U.S. Navy’s 2024 apology for its 1869 bombardment of the village. It serves as an act of recognition and remembrance of a painful history, and a lasting symbol of the community’s strength and resilience.

In a significant investment in language revitalization, Sealaska granted nearly $500,000 to 19 individual recipients working to preserve and revitalize four Indigenous languages: Lingít (Tlingit), X̱aad Kíl (Haida), Sm’algya̱x (Tsimshian), and Eyak.

“The corporation recognizes this work is not easy but necessary to keep us grounded as Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people,” Nicole Anderson, Sealaska Corporate Secretary, said. “This is just a small drop in the collective effort to echo the voices of our ancestors.”

Sealaska’s Board of Directors also spent time with interns and international fellows placed across the community through Sealaska and its partner organizations this summer. The meetings created space to build stronger relationships with the next generation of leaders who are shaping the region and representing Indigenous excellence on the global stage.

“This year we have 28 interns and seven international fellows,” Charlotte Moore, Sealaska Internship Program Coordinator, said. “We have one intern conducting ethnography research on Southeast Alaska’s black seaweed, another producing a podcast with SSP that shares the voices and stories of the people across Lingít Aaní, and we welcomed our first intern to Tlingit & Haida Business Corp. These are just a few of our exceptional interns this year, each bringing their talents and identities to the table to support Sealaska, our subsidiaries, and our local communities.”

To further invest in youth leadership, the board reaffirmed its commitment to the Board Youth Advisor position. The application period opens next week, and the new advisor will be seated in October.

Sealaska remains focused on intergenerational progress, cultural resilience, and shareholder prosperity, honoring the past while building a thriving future.