Celebrating centuries of tradition
The biannual event, started in 1982, was born out of the concern that ancient traditions were endangered and no longer being passed on to the next generation. The Sealaska Heritage Foundation, which sponsors the event, created Celebration as a way to transmit customs of the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian people to future generations.
May 28, 2000

The return of Native pride
Celebration has helped re-ignite the spirit of Alaska's first people
For the opening ceremonies, Centennial Hall was filled to capacity, with people in the aisles of the large ballroom. Some of the crowd milled through the corridors, or socialized in the parking lot and on the lawn.
June 2, 2000

Past meets present at Celebration 2000
From the fry bread for sale to the performances of dozens of dance groups, Celebration 2000 mixed the traditions of the past with the modern world of the present.
"The concept of uniting people - from our ancestors to the current generation and future generations - is really important to the survival of our culture. The interrelationship is crucial," said Rosita Worl, president of the Sealaska Heritage Foundation, the sponsors of Celebration.
June 4, 2000

Celebration 2000 Slideshow
Relive some of the best moments from Celebration 2000 with these photo highlights from that year's festivities.

Celebration begins
The languages of the Tlingit, Tsimshian and Haida people are dying out, and if they are going to be revived, this is the crucial moment.
Celebration '98 organizers say that's the reason they chose "Our Language" as the theme for this year's celebration of Native culture, dance and song.
June 4, 1998

Reaching out to save a heritage
Jerome Jainga lives in Seattle, but he hasn't forgotten that where his people came from.
Jainga and his group of Tsimshian dancers came to Juneau this weekend for Celebration '98, the festival of Southeast Alaskan Native culture, sponsored by the Sealaska Heritage Foundation.
"It's a chance for us to visit and to see relatives and to share our culture with the Tlingit and Haida and everyone else here," Jainga said.
June 7, 1998

For the sake of the children
Unlike many of his peers, 14-year-old Kyle Barril doesn't go in for body piercing. He says it's not his style.
On Saturday, though, he had no compunctions about donning a nose ring, a full loop that hung down from his nose to just above his mouth.
"It shows manhood," Kyle said."It's just a part of the regalia that we use."
June 7, 1998

Celebration cash boosts area economy
Eva Pardee came down from Haines for Celebration '98 to see old friends and join them in enjoying in their Native Alaskan culture.
But one of the first things she did when she arrived in Juneau was hit the downtown shops.
June 5, 1998

Celebration protocol challenged
Not everyone was happy with the way Celebration '96 went this year.
Just before the grand exit Saturday night, a group of Natives, led by elder Paul Jackson, took over the stage and the microphone. They asked the Sealaska Heritage Foundation, organizers of the biennial event, to make the gathering more traditional.

Native gathering draws thousands
Led by the Kudzidaa Kwaan Dance Group, a long line of Natives dressed in button, beaded and Chilkat blankets marched through a light rain down Willoughby Avenue this morning to kick off the beginning of Celebration '96.
An estimated 4,000 Southeast Natives are here to "open again this container of wisdom left in our care." The phrase is from the entrance song sung for almost an hour as approximately 1,500 dancers attending Celebration marched into Centennial Hall to the rhythm of as many as 100 drums. The "container" referred to in the song is Native heritage.

High school senior learning how to reclaim his culture
Jeremy Timothy, an 18-year-old senior at Juneau-Douglas High School, is bringing two worlds together.
A Tlingit of the Raven moiety of the Sockeye clan, he is studying Native culture along with the usual subjects in the high school curriculum.
He started early, in elementary school, when his mother leveraged him into Native dance.