Grant Supports Tlingit Cultural Learning in Juneau Schools

Juneau’s Tlingit Culture, Language, and Literacy (TCLL) program has received a $14,000 food sovereignty grant, awarded by Native Movement, a nonprofit dedicated to grassroots-led Indigenous rights projects. The support aims to revitalize traditional Tlingit food practices and cultural knowledge among students in the Juneau School District.

Purpose of the Food Sovereignty Grant

The grant focuses on the “revitalization, reclamation, and sustainability of traditional Tlingit food practices, cultural knowledge, and language,” explained Molly Yerkes, principal of TCLL. The program is a place-based, culturally-centered option for elementary and middle school students in the district.

Hands-On Learning with Community Knowledge Holders

This funding allows approximately 120 students to collaborate with Tlingit elders, cultural specialists, and indigenous language teachers throughout the school year. Through these interactions, children learn native food practices, which include harvesting, preparing, preserving, and sharing traditional foods. Among the foods explored are salmon, seal, moose, clams, herring eggs, seaweed, berries, traditional potatoes, and medicinal plants.

Strengthening Connections to Heritage

Principal Yerkes noted that these activities “strengthen students’ connections to their cultural heritage, ancestral lands, and traditional ways of knowing.” The program highlights the importance of tlingit elders and cultural specialists in passing down vital traditions, deepening students’ understanding of food sustainability and the broader context of tlingit culture.

Supporting Indigenous Language and Cultural Revitalization

In addition to teaching about native foods and harvesting techniques, the grant supports ongoing cultural revitalization and the reclamation of indigenous language. Language teachers play a vital role in ensuring that students not only learn traditional foods and recipes, but also the Tlingit words associated with these practices, reinforcing the relationship between language, culture, and place.

About Native Movement and Future Outlook

Native Movement, the grant’s funder, works to ensure Indigenous Peoples’ rights through supporting grassroots initiatives like the TCLL program. With this latest grant, TCLL looks poised to further promote cultural knowledge among students and contribute to the sustainability of tlingit food practices for generations to come.

Source: ktoo.org.