Arts & Language

Goldbelt Heritage promotes and sponsors a variety of arts, language, and food harvesting programs that seek to preserve Native culture through education, participation, and artist support.

Projects are supported through granting funding and generous sponsor donations.

Past Projects Include:

Cultural Arts
Projects

GHF has brought together more than 4,500 people through the commission of totem poles, house screens, posts, and box drums.

Formline Design
Classes

GHF has developed and taught formline design to over 500 students seeking to learn this traditional art form.

Elder Herring Egg Giveaway

During herring season, GHF staff and volunteers organized a herring egg giveaway so elders could enjoy this traditional food.

Alaska Natives & Youth Conference

GHF hosts and sponsors forums and conferences to help educate, promote, and advocate for Alaska Native education and culture.

Tlingit Language Revitilization

Currently there are only 250 fully fluent Tlingit language speakers – all over the age of 70. To ensure that Tlingit doesn’t become a lost Indigenous language, GHF has set the goal to develop 3,000 fluent Tlingit speakers by 2050.

To support this effort, GHF:

Works closely with local schools to provide programs that help enhance students’ cultural understanding and Tlingit language skills though youth camps, clubs, culture classes, immersion programs, and on-site lessons.
Continues to support language learning through dual credit courses offered in partnership with the University of Alaska Southeast. To date, more than 500 students have been supported in through this effort.
Introduced language and culture programs to over 500 early learners in local preschool and Head Start programs.
Has taught over 1,000 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade basic Tlingit language.