“Tsu héidei shugaxhtootáan yá yaakhoosgé daakeit haa jeex’ a nakh has kawdik’éet’.
"We will again open this container of wisdom that has been left in our care."
~ George Davis, May 29, 1980 Sealaska Eldersʼ Conference: Elders Speak to the Future
Haa Ḵusteeyí: Our Way of Life
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Subject: Music
Grades: K - 5 Length: 7 Lessons, 45 min. each |
Gunalchéesh to our elders for their deep knowledge of Lingít culture. Their voices form the foundation of this project, which draws from the 2004 Elders Forum where elders from across Southeast Alaska came together to discuss, identify and agree upon a list of Southeast Traditional Tribal Values.
This unit was designed as part of the Sealaska Heritage Instituteʼs Thru the Cultural Lens course, which is a culmination of 50 hours of presentations from community leaders and educators on culturally responsive practices. I would like to recognize the Áʼakw Ḵwáan and Tʼaaḵu Ḵwáan people upon whose land we live and stand in Juneau and the southern portion of Douglas, respectively. I also want to thank the many people and organizations who have contributed to this curriculum through their words, song permission, educational resources, & language support:
This unit was designed as part of the Sealaska Heritage Instituteʼs Thru the Cultural Lens course, which is a culmination of 50 hours of presentations from community leaders and educators on culturally responsive practices. I would like to recognize the Áʼakw Ḵwáan and Tʼaaḵu Ḵwáan people upon whose land we live and stand in Juneau and the southern portion of Douglas, respectively. I also want to thank the many people and organizations who have contributed to this curriculum through their words, song permission, educational resources, & language support:
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My intentions in developing these lessons are to honor and recognize the rich culture and language of this place and help sustain them in our youth. The traditional tribal values will be learned and lived as children sing them in Lingít and explore their meanings through traditional oral narratives. With permission, each grade level learns an authentic Lingít song, along with its background, so that music of this place is part of their elementary music curriculum. Please see Background and Song Permission for more details.
I will continue to seek help from our communityʼs language and cultural warriors as I practice the Lingít language and culture with my students. I know that I will make mistakes, but will keep X̱ʼuneiʼs words below in mind. Gunalchéesh. Lorrie Gax.áansán Heagy, Music Teacher, Glacier Valley Elementary School - Sítʼ Eetí Shaanáx
I will continue to seek help from our communityʼs language and cultural warriors as I practice the Lingít language and culture with my students. I know that I will make mistakes, but will keep X̱ʼuneiʼs words below in mind. Gunalchéesh. Lorrie Gax.áansán Heagy, Music Teacher, Glacier Valley Elementary School - Sítʼ Eetí Shaanáx
"Our language is endangered, yes, but you will not break it. The only way to kill it off is to not speak it, and the only way to keep it alive is to speak it. As a speaker of this language, you are the most sacred thing to the Tlingit thought-world. You are the link between everything we have ever been and everything we are about to become. You are a gift. You are sacred. You will rebuild a house for our grandchildren, and teach them the stories that exist in the gáasʼ (houseposts), the x̲ʼéen (house screen). No matter what has ever happened or been said to or about you, you are just what we need." ~ X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell
