Libraries, Archives, Museums: Performing arts in Alaska primary sources: Sealaska Heritage Institute

Performing arts in Alaska primary sources

This guide contains collections of primary source material relating to performing arts in Alaska, held by archives, libraries, and museums across the state. This guide is not comprehensive and may not include every collection containing primary source material relating to Alaskan performing arts.

Click on the linked collection names for more detailed collection descriptions. Not every collection has a detailed description online, and it may be necessary to contact the institution that owns a collection for more information.

Selected items related to Alaskan performing arts from many of the institutions represented in this guide have been digitized and added to Alaska's Digital Archives. You can use the search box at the top right of the homepage to search for these materials.

If you represent an institution that holds primary source materials related to performing arts in Alaska and would like to see them included in this guide, please contact the UAA/APU Consortium Library Archives and Special Collections.

Sealaska Heritage Institute

Listed below are many collections held at the Sealaska Heritage Institute Archives. Most of the links are to guides to the listed collections which may contain more information about those specific collections. The Sealaska Heritage Institute may also hold additional materials related to performing arts.

Peter R. Barril Memorial & Barril Family Photograph Collection, 1960-1990 PO/061
This collection consists of over two hundred images associated with donors of the collection, Tiny and Divina Barril, of Olympia, Washington. Tiny Barril (Tootseeake) is a Tlingit Indian of the T’akdeintaan Clan, and Divina Barril (Kukundagein) is a Tlingit Indian of the Wooshkeetaan Clan. The Barrils are both active promoters of the Tlingit culture and in 2010 served as leaders of the Tlingit dance group Kuteeyaa Dancers. The bulk of the images in this collection capture images of family members, family birthday celebrations, weddings, vacations to places in the Lower 48 states, and other. Around forty images from the collection concern two or three Tlingit cultural celebrations, circa 1960-1990, which show Tlingit dancers performing in traditional regalia.
Celebration Panorama Photograph Collection, 1982-2006 PO/022
This collection consists of oversize panoramic photographs that were annually taken at the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s biannual Celebration festival from 1982 to 2006. These photographs capture a panoramic view of dancers and participants of Celebration standing outside of Centennial Hall. These photos were taken by Juneau based professional photographer Ronald Klein.
Celebration Recordings Collection MC/002
This collection consists of audio and audiovisual recordings of the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s biennial Celebration festivals from 1982 to the present. The collection contains recordings primarily of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian dance performances, with accompanying events.
Celebration Recordings Collection, 1982-2006 PO/016
This collection consists of photographs taken at the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s biannual Celebration festival held in Juneau, Alaska. Images in this collection span from 1982 to 2006 and consist primarily of photos taken by unidentified non-professional photographers.
Judson Cranston Photograph Collection, 1984 PO/011
This collection contains negative slides from photographs taken at the 1984 Celebration festival. Amounting to around 250 slides, these images capture various dances and ceremonies, of the various clans, participating in Celebration. These images document the second year Celebration was held and show how early festivities were carried out. Judson Cranston of the Klukwan or Haines area is presumed to be the photographer of these images.
Dance Regalia Documentary Project Photograph Collection PO/039
This collection consists of approximately 500 digital photographs on seven CD-Rs which taken at the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Celebration festival in 2004. The pictures in this collection were taken by a special team working to document and photograph Native regalia and the history behind specific regalia pieces. The project was known as the Dance Regalia Documentary Project and was managed by Tlingit artist and weaver Clarissa Hudson (Rizal).
Dauenhauer Photograph Collection, 1886-1995 PO/004
This collection contains photographs taken and collected by Richard and Nora Marks Dauenhauer and Sealaska Heritage Institute (SHI) staff between the period of 1980 and 1994 primarily for and during the Dauenhauers’ employment with SHI. These photographs contain images of the annual Celebration festivals, photos of various Native gatherings, and a host of historic reproduction photographs.
Haida Oral Histories, Oratory, & Events Recordings Collection, 1913-1989 MC/034
This collection contains various Haida Indian recordings, which consist of recorded oral histories, oratory, and events, such as cultural gatherings. These recordings document both the Haida of Alaska and British Columbia, and the recordings capture Haida speaking in both the English and Haida languages.
Dennis P. Harris Celebration Photograph Collection PO/036
This collection consists of photographs taken in 2000 by Juneau resident Dennis P. Harris at the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s biannual Celebration festival. The photographs are in digital form only, and are on a CD-R. The photos capture dancers, snapshots of various people, canoeing events, and other aspects of Celebration.
Juneau First Americans Emphasis Week Recordings Collection, 1978-1984 MC/018
The collection contains thirty-two CDs and one DVD which document speakers, performances and events from the Juneau First Americans Emphasis Week celebrations between 1978 and 1984, as well as paper documents from the events. These audio and audiovisual recordings primarily document the cultural celebrations of the Tlingit and Haida people, as well as those of other Alaska Native people. These recordings document aspects of cultural resurgence, educational reform, and the actions of Alaska Natives during the era of Self-Determination.
Larry McNeil Photograph Collection, 1982-2000 PO/002
This two-box collection contains a few thousand photographs, slides, page proofs, and negative images taken by professional photographer Larry McNeil. These images consist of snapshots from the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s bi-annual Celebration festivals, specifically for Celebration 1982, 1984, 1992, and 2000, wherein the members of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian Native American Indian people gather to dance and celebrate their culture.
Naa Kahida Theater Photograph Collection, 1989-1994 PO/001
This collection consists of approximately 200 negative slides, roughly 200 photographs, and numerous negatives documenting the Naa Kahida Theater productions in 1992 and 1994. The bulk of the images in this collection were taken by professional photographer Marty Sohl in 1994, which includes slides showing the Naa Kahida Theater performance â€œFires on the Waterâ€. A small batch of slides in this collection were taken by professional photographers Mark Kelley and Robin Hood for use as cover images of published programs and show outdoor scenes of Naa Kahida Theater actors in costume. The remaining slides, photos, and negatives appear to be taken by SHI staff, local amateur photographers, and otherwise unidentified photographers. The photographs have been arranged by photographer.
Sealaska Heritage Institute Operational Recordings, 1982-present MC/032, Series 8: Naa Kahida Theater Recordings
This collection contains the audio/visual recordings associated with the programs operated by Sealaska Heritage Institute from 1983 to the present. The records represent the efforts towards language and cultural knowledge preservation through various programs and councils.
Sealaska Heritage Institute Records MS/001, Series 6: Na Kahida Theater Records
This collection consists of the records of the Sealaska Heritage Institute spanning the period of 1980 to the present. Processed papers include papers from the non-active Na Kahida Theater.
Arthur G. Sutch Photograph Collection, 1998 PO/015
This collection consists of four boxes sides from photographs taken Art Sutch Photography at the Sealaska Heritage Institute’s Celebration 1998. These images capture dancers performing, parade marching, regalia, and other events that occurred at Celebration 1998.
Tlingit Macbeth Recordings Collection, 2009
This collection contains audio recordings concerning the 2004 performance of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth in the Tlingit language and Tlingit theme at the Perseverance Theater, Juneau, Alaska, and transcripts of the play in Tlingit and English. Prior to the play’s performance, the play was translated from English to Tlingit by SHI staff member and elder Johnny Marks (Kooteix'téek) (1943-2009). His translation was later used for the play’s performance. This collection contains the raw audio translation of the English being spoken to Marks, and then his response in Tlingit, captured on six audio CDs, and transcripts of the play’s script.

Credits

This guide is supported in whole or in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the Alaska State Library.