Séet Ká Festival 2022
The Séet Ká Festival is an Indigenous festival dedicated to cultural awareness, cultural revitalization, and uplifting the Indigenous people of Séet Ká Kwáan through art and language classes, as well as dialogues about racial equity, cultural awareness, and decolonization.
The purpose of this festival is to instill and foster pride in Indigenous community members and for all participants to walk away more culturally aware.
The festival is organized by Petersburg Indigenous Awareness Committee in collaboration with the partners and sponsors below.
This festival is free for attendees and made possible by the Culture Camp Support Fund grant from First Alaskans Institute, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion grant from the Petersburg Community Foundation, and generous donations from the Clausen Museum and local donors. We appreciate their generous support through and are excited to support our community with these amazing resources. If you wish to donate to support the festival or the work of Petersburg Indigenous Awareness Committee, you can mail a check to the Arts Council or donate online here and let us know via email.
As requested by Goldbelt Heritage Institute and Sealaska Heritage Institute, vaccination is required for all in-person classes and proof of vaccination is necessary.
Festival Partners
Petersburg Indian Association | First Alaskans Institute | Goldbelt Heritage Foundation | Sealaska Heritage Institute
Festival Sponsors
Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp #16 | Alaska Native Brotherhood Camp #16 | Petersburg Pilot | Petersburg Parks and Recreation | Clausen Memorial Museum | KFSK Radio | Petersburg Public Library | Cindi Lagoudakis & Bill Trembla
Registration
Cost for all events is FREE. Register for each session via the Petersburg Public Library website (see below). Registration ends at 5 pm the day before the scheduled session and registration for all sessions ends Saturday, February 12th at 5 pm.
Events Schedule
For information about each session, follow the registration links to the Petersburg Public Library’s event pages.
Schedule changes: Eva Rowan is not able to attend the festival in person, so please note class times and locations for Beading with Eva have changed. The youth panel has been removed from the schedule. Amiah Johnson is holding two beading sessions instead of four.
Thursday, February 10th
Racial Equity Dialogue hosted by First Alaskans Institute
1 pm - 3 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Stories of Séet Ká Kwáan + Festival Welcome with Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 16 President Barbara Erickson, special guest Bob Sam, and others
6 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Friday, February 11th
Cultural Appropriations Dialogue hosted by First Alaskans Institute
10 am - 12 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Lingít Storytime with Victoria Johnson
1 pm - 2 pm | For Petersburg School District only
Apothecary with Naomi Michalsen & Bob Sam
1 pm - 4 pm | Parks & Rec Community Center | Register here
Equality vs Equity Dialogue hosted by First Alaskans Institute
1 pm- 4 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Formline Design Presented by Robert Mills & Sealaska Heritage Institute
2 pm - 4 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Intro to Lingít with X’unei Lance Twitchell & Neigóon Nae Brown
5 pm - 6 pm | Changed to PIA Conference Room & on ZOOM | Register here
Integrating Language into Education - Haa Tóo Yéi Yatee?
with X’unei Lance Twitchell & Neigóon Nae Brown
6 pm- 7 pm | Changed to PIA Conference Room & on ZOOM | Register here
Local elders voices, more info TBA
7 pm | Zoom | Register here
Saturday, February 12th
Formline Design Presented by Robert Mills & Sealaska Heritage Institute
10 am - 12 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Lingít Storytime with Victoria Johnson
12 pm - 1 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Tsimshian Storytelling with Torah Zamora
11 am - 12 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Fungi Dialogue with Leah Benning
1 - 4 pm | Parks & Rec | Register here
Beading Circle with Amiah Johnson
2 pm - 4 pm (time change) | ZOOM | Register here
Intro to Lingít with X’unei Lance Twitchell & Neigóon Nae Brown
5 pm - 6 pm | Changed to PIA Conference Room & on ZOOM | Register here
Land Name Restoration Dialogue with Neigóon Nae Brown & X’unei Lance Twitchell
6 pm- 7 pm | Changed to PIA Conference Room & on ZOOM | Register here
Sunday, February 13th
Tea Blending with Naomi Michalsen
12 pm - 1 pm | John Hansen Sr. Hall | Register here
Respectful Harvesting Guidelines with Naomi Michalsen and Bob Sam
1 pm - 2 pm | John Hansen Sr. Hall | Register here
Formline Design Presented by Robert Mills & Sealaska Heritage Institute
2 pm - 4 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Beading Circle with Amiah Johnson
2 pm - 4 pm (time change) | ZOOM | Register here
Intro to Regalia and Headbands with Lyle James, Kolene, Corinne James
3 pm - 5 pm | John Hansen Sr. Hall | Register here
Intro to Lingít with X’unei Lance Twitchell & Neigóon Nae Brown
5 pm - 6 pm | John Hansen Sr. Hall - in person only | Register here
Regalia is Sacred - A dialogue with Neigóon Nae Brown & X’unei Lance Twitchell
6 pm - 7 pm | John Hansen Sr. Hall - in person only | Register here
Southeast Song & Dance with Lyle James, Corinne James, and Kolene
7 pm | John Hansen Sr Hall | Register here
Monday, February 14th
Debrief & brunch for instructors & organizers
8 am | John Hansen Sr. Hall
Lingít Storytime with Victoria Johnson
9 am - 10 am | For Petersburg School District only
Equitable Work Environment Dialogue hosted by First Alaskans Institute
10 am - 12 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Tsimshian Storytelling with Torah Zamora
11 am - 12 pm | ZOOM | For Petersburg School District only
Lingít Storytime with Lyle James
1 pm to 2 pm | For Petersburg School District only
Formline Design - Sealaska Heritage Institute
2 pm - 4 pm | ZOOM | Register here
Intro to Regalia and Headbands with Lyle James and Kolene
3 pm - 5 pm | John Hansen Sr. Hall | Register here
Beading with Eva Rowan
3 - 6 pm | Parks & Rec Community Room | Register here
Intro to Lingít with Neigóon Nae Brown
5 pm - 6 pm | Changed to PIA Conference Room & on ZOOM | Register here
Lingít discussion with Neigóon Nae Brown
6 pm - 7 pm | Changed to PIA Conference Room & on ZOOM | Register here
Song & Dance of SE AK with Lyle James and Kolene
7 pm | John Hansen Sr Hall | Register here
Wednesday, February 16th
Elizabeth Peratrovich Day Activities TBA
Festival Instructors
X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell is an Associate Professor of Alaska Native Languages at the University of Alaska Southeast, a Tlingit language instructor and curriculum development specialist, a Northwest Coast artist, and an author of screenplays and poetry. Dr. Twitchell holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Minnesota, an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, and a Ph.D. in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization from the University of Hawaii in Hilo.
Neigóon Nae Brown - L'uknax̱.ádi, Shangukeidí dachx̱án - Gunáax̱oo Ḵwáan; Lingít Language and Culture Instructor - Lingít Artist
Leah Benning - I'm Leah, a seven-thousand-eight-hundred and ninety-five day old human being. Tlingit Aaní raised me, teaching me day to day to appreciate everything around me. as I age, I learn more and more about being human, and how heavily we rely on the plants, the animals, the water, the land, and each other. Drifting from one moment to the next that heals my mind, body, and spirit. While in Petersburg, I hope to share stories with one another, both the beautiful times and the battles, as life is about balance.
Naomi Michalsen, Kaasei (Tlingit), is Wooshkeetaan, Eagle/Wolf belonging to the Shark House of Berners Bay, Alaska. Naomi and her husband live in Ketchikan and have five children and nine grandchildren. She is the owner of Kaasei Training & Consulting, a business she started to inspire people to appreciate Indigenous foods plants, and people. She believes in the power of culture as prevention, intervention, and healing and she is dedicated to reconnecting people with plant relatives, to the land, and to each other.
Eva Rowan
Victoria Johnson
Tléikw Xoo Among the berries; Yéil - T’akdeintaan Raven - Sea Pigeon; X’áat Hít - Freshwater Marked Sockeye; Xunaa Shaawaat dax sitee- Woman from Hoonah, AK; Deisheetaan Yádi - Child of the Beaver; Yéil Saaxu Hít - Raven Bone House; Chookaneidí ka Kaagwaantaan dachxán Grandchild of the Bear and Wolf clan; Wooshkeetaan daakanooxoo My outer shell the Shark clan; Language and Cultural Specialist - Early Childhood, Elementary
Torah Zamora
Tsimshianu ada Ganada dii wil psteegn. Torah was born and raised in on Llingit Aani -- also known as Ketchikan. She recently moved back home after earning her bachelor's degree in Anthropology. She is now an apprentice to Naomi Michaelson (Kaasei) learning traditional harvesting and medicine. As of recently, she got involved with her community theater and is inspired to learn more about indigenous ways of storytelling and continuing our Adaawx to be heard. During this week, Torah will be hosting a workshop where she will read from the Tsimshian Narrative collections. She hopes you enjoy this week of great company and healing knowledge. Wayi Wah! :)
Robert Mills
Robert Mills is a lifelong resident of Southeast, Alaska. Specifically, he calls the village of Kake his home. Robert is a Tlingit artist of the Tsaagweidi clan who works with metal, paint and wood. His art is deeply tied to Lingit aani and the Tlingit culture which grew out of thousands of years of interaction with this darkly-forested, fjord-riven land. Robert’s art both celebrates ancient Tlingit traditions and builds upon them
Amiah Johnson
My name is Amiah Johnson, I am Tlingit, Koyukon Athabascan and Filipina. My Lingít name is Xóotsk’ and I’m from the villages of Yakutat and Angoon. I’m a first generation college student at the University of Alaska studying medical assisting and run my own small business selling Indigenous hand made jewelry. I learned how to bead and sew from my maternal grandmother and am still learning more about my culture and traditions every day
Robert Sam
Shaagunasstaa, Bob Sam is a member of the Sitka Tribe of Alaska and resides in Sitka.
Sam currently serves on the Sitka Tribal Council, Tlingit and Haida Violence Against
Women Task Force and has been active in local conservation issues. Sam has spent most of
his adult life learning and sharing traditional Tlingit oral narratives. As a member of the
Tlingit performing arts troupe, Na Kahidi Theater, he shared traditional stories with
audiences around the United States and Europe. Mr. Sam was a keynote speaker at the
National Conference of Oral History, organized by the University of Alaska. He is also a
founding member of the Kavaani Commission and is a leader in the protection and
preservation of historic gravesites and repatriation of human remains back to their ancestral homelands
Ayyu Qassataq
Ayyu Qassataq (Iñupiaq) of Uŋalaqłiq (Unalakleet), she is the mother of four incredible children: Kutuukhuq, Talialuk, Qanigluk and Inuaałuuraq, the daughter of Doug and Vernita Herdman and granddaughter of Stanton and Irene Katchatag.
Ayyu joined First Alaskans Institute (FAI) in 2010, and currently serves as Vice President. She believes deeply in the power of our Ancestral knowledge and dedicates her life to advocating for our right to live the fullness of our ways of life in perpetuity.
Karla Gatgyedm Hana’ax Booth
Karla Gatgyedm Hana’ax Booth (Ts’msyen) is from the Raven clan and is the daughter of Clarissa Booth of Metlakatla and Glenn Somerville of Wisconsin. Gatgyedm Hana’ax is the granddaughter of the late Violet and Billy Booth of Metlakatla. She was raised in the neighborhoods of Seattle, and on the beaches and muskeg of Kake and Metlakatla. At FAI she is responsible for leading the Indigenous Leadership Continuum initiative which includes the FAI Summer Internship Program, Statewide Elders & Youth Conference, Public Policy Fellowship, Al Adams Fellowship, Rural Governance Fellowship, and First Nations’ Futures Program. Gatgyedm Hana’ax enjoys language learning, arts & crafts, and dancing with Lepquimn Gumilgit Gagoadim Tsimshian Dancers.
Melissa Silugngataanit’sqaq Marton (Sugpiaq)
Melissa Silugngataanit’sqaq Marton (Sugpiaq) was born on Kodiak Island and has ties to Chignik Lagoon in the Bristol Bay Region. Her maternal grandparents are Harold Nielsen and Helen Pedersen, and her parents are Bertha Nielsen of Chignik and Laszlo Martón of Hungary. She has dedicated the past 29 years working in the Koniag region serving her people in social services, tribal operations and administration.
Candace Cutmen Branson (Sugpiaq)
Candace Cutmen Branson (Sugpiaq) from Kodiak, most recently working with the Sun’aq Tribe of Kodiak, where she taught Alutiiq to preschool to adults and engaged in curriculum development, she leads the Kodiak Alutiiq Dancers, and enjoys
planning and coordinating cultural workshops and day camps. She has experience with grant management and program development. She was recently elected to the Sun’aq Tribal Council and serves on the Koniag Education Foundation board and the Alutiiq Language Regional Advisory Committee. Cutmen is an FAI Summer Intern Alum and credits her participation in Elders & Youth as a youth as a turning point in her life.
Gloria Khaaswoot Wolfe
Gloria Khaaswoot Wolfe is Wooshkeetaan (Eagle Moiety of the Shark Clan) and grew up on the Kwaashk’ikwaan, up in sandy shores of Yakutat, where she currently lives with her husband Ralph and two sons. She has over 15 years’ experience in working with Elders, youth, and her community in a variety of capacities including advocacy, teaching, grant management and leadership, and building a language app. She has most recently served as the Native Connections SAMHSA Project Director for the Yakutat Community Health Center. She has served on the Yakutat School Board, leads the Yakutat Surf Camp, and is a key leader and organizer of the Mt. St. Elias Dance Group that has consistently performed at Elders & Youth. Khaaswoot is a FAI Summer Intern Alum as well.
Gunalshéesh! We appreciate your interest & participation!
Festival organized by Avery Herrman-Sakamoto with support from members of Petersburg Indigenous Awareness Committee.