Celebration 2010 will mark the 28th year of the event, which began in 1982 to celebrate the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures. In 2008, Celebration drew more than 6,000 people, including 2,300 dancers (a record).
This year's event featured 51 dance groups that performed in eight locations, including Centennial Hall and the Alaska Native Brotherhood Hall. The event also included a Native artists market, a parade through downtown, black seaweed and soapberry contests, a toddler regalia review, lectures and workshops.
Sealaska Heritage Institute is a Native nonprofit established in 1981 to administer educational and cultural programs for Sealaska, a regional Native corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The institute's mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian cultures. Language revitalization is a priority of SHI.
