JUNEAU, Alaska — September 23, 2026 — Goldbelt Heritage Foundation is proud to celebrate Yéil Yádi X̱’út’ayi Du.áx̱ji, Brandon Gomez, and Master Carver Wayne Price, who were both recognized at the Tlingit & Haida President’s Awards Banquet on September 22 at Centennial Hall in Juneau.
Brandon received the Emerging Leader Award, which recognizes a tribal citizen youth who demonstrates leadership and commitment to community wellness and Indigenous peoples. Brandon serves as Project Coordinator for the Culture & Arts Program at Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, where he works alongside Master Carver Wayne Price and other artists to continue developing his skills while helping preserve and share Northwest Coast art and culture.
Brandon also shares his knowledge with younger generations, including teaching at Chilkoot Culture Camp in Deishú and working with students in Montana. This year, he participated in his first Tribal Canoe Journey, paddling approximately 100 miles from Haines to Juneau. The journey strengthened his connection to water, culture, and community and reflects his continued commitment to carrying these traditions forward.
Wayne received the Hold Each Other Up Award, which recognizes individuals who uplift and unify the Tlingit and Haida people through generosity, a caring spirit, and significant volunteerism.
Throughout his career, Wayne has dedicated himself to Northwest Coast art, traditional carving, cultural knowledge, and bringing people together. He has created dozens of totem poles, house posts, formline glass panels, and other works, and has become especially known for his work carving traditional oceangoing dugout canoes. Since carving his first dugout in 1982, Wayne has created 16 canoes, many of which continue to be used for cultural and wellness activities.
For Wayne, carving and traditional canoe journeys have also provided opportunities to promote healing, strengthen community connections, and pass knowledge to future generations. Through his work and with North Tide Canoe Kwaan, he continues to share carving, traditional canoe journeys, and healthy ways of living with communities throughout the region.
Seeing Brandon and Wayne recognized together was especially meaningful for GHF. The two currently work alongside one another through GHF’s Culture & Arts programming, including the ongoing traditional dugout canoe carving project in Juneau. Their recognition reflects both the importance of carrying cultural knowledge forward and the relationships that allow that knowledge to continue from one generation to the next.
Goldbelt Heritage Foundation congratulates Brandon and Wayne on these well-deserved honors and thanks them for the knowledge, dedication, leadership, and care they continue to share with GHF and our communities.
Gunalchéesh, Brandon and Wayne!
