Kristen Griffin

Ellen Hope Hays was interviewed on December 7, 1998 by Karen Brewster and Kristen Griffin at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska office in Sitka, Alaska. Robi Craig, Tribal Anthropologist for the Sitka Tribe, was also present during the interview. At the time of this interview, Ellen was living on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and this project supported her travel to Sitka to be interviewed. Ellen was a vivacious, petite, 70-year old who was an energetic and eloquent speaker. She obviously had been in an interview setting before and was comfortable with it. She'd take one question and run with it, thereby discussing topics that future questions had intended to address. Ellen carried herself with strength and pride and did not hesitate to speak her mind. Her responses in this interview indicated these were issues she has thought about before; she knew what she wanted to say. There was so much to discuss with Ellen that this interview carried over into a second day (Interview 2). In this first part of a three part interview, Ellen talks about her family background, her childhood growing up in the Cottages Community that neighbored Sitka National Historical Park, using the park as her playground, and her role in the development of the Alaska Native Brotherhood. She also talks about working to establish the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center, history of and changes in Sitka, the relationship between the National Park Service and the community, and how she became park superintendent and then Native Liaison for the Alaska Region of the National Park Service. Finally, Ellen discusses the importance of maintaining her Tlingit identity and continuing Native cultural knowledge and practices, reflects on her career with the National Park Service and the value of Sitka National Historical Park and commemoration of the 1804 battle between the Kiks.'adi and the Russians, key Tlingit teachers and artists who worked at the Cultural Center, and the role of the Cultural Center in the community. At the end of the interview, Ellen talks about historic photographs related to the national park and installation of the Centennial House Post.

David Galanin was interviewed on December 8, 1999 by Kristen Griffin and Karen Brewster at the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center in Sitka, Alaska. According to Dave's wishes, the interview was tape recorded but not videotaped. At six feet tall, with broad shoulders, and a serious face, Dave created a strong presence in the room. He was a man of few, but eloquent, words. During the interview, Dave is casually leaned back in a chair with his feet propped up on a large block of wood waiting to be carved. He seems relaxed. His background as a radio DJ and his work on the History Pole gave him experience with public speaking and answering questions. He was in a bit of a hurry, with art projects to complete and an upcoming trip to the Te Ra Artfest 2000 in Gisborne, New Zealand to prepare for. In this interview, Dave talks about his work as a silver carver, artist, and Tlingit culture bearer. In addition, he discusses his connections with the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center and the important role the institution plays in the promotion of Alaska Native art and artists, and the Cultural Center's project to carve and raise the Indian River History Pole. This pole was unique in that it was a collaborative effort between clans and they chose to raise it "traditionally." It required a lot of instruction from elders and negotiating between clans. As Director of the Cultural Center Board at the time, Dave was in the center of it all -- all the joy, the celebration, the pride, as well as all the conflict, controversy and struggles to do things "right." Dave shows us some of what went on behind the scenes of this important event. He honestly shares his feelings about the Cultural Center, the pole project, and his artwork.

Gil Truitt was interviewed on December 8, 1998 by Karen Brewster and Kristen Griffin at the Sitka Tribe of Alaska office in Sitka, Alaska. Mr. Truitt is a proud man with a pleasant demeanor who is mindful of proper Tlingit behavior, so carries himself in an almost formal manner. After a long career as a teacher and coach at Mount Edgecumbe High School, he is comfortable with public speaking in the interview context, and communicates his thoughts in a clear, straightforward manner. In this interview, Gil talks about his childhood in the Cottages Community neighboring Sitka National Historical Park and his relationship with the Park. He mentions individuals who influenced his life, like Mrs. Don Cameron, the role of the Alaska Native Brotherhood, education, sports and music at the Cottages, and his own education and career development. He also discusses fishing at Indian River in the Park when he was a boy, tourism, and teaching cultural values.

Jan Steinbright Jackson was interviewed on December 9, 1998 by Karen Brewster and Kristen Griffin in the Regalia Room at the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center in Sitka, Alaska. While the hope was to do the interview in Jan's office at the Cultural Center, the noise from the silver carver's grinding machine next door was too loud and would disrupt the tape recording, so the interview was done in another office in the building. We stopped by to see if she would have time for an interview later that day, and she said the only time she had was right then. So, we quickly set-up the recording equipment and started talking. Despite not having time to reflect on the topics and think about what she wanted to say, Jan was relaxed and did an excellent job of expressing her views and providing important information about the Cultural Center. In this interview, Jan talks about her work as the director of the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center, the important role the facility has played in Native arts cultural preservation in Alaska, and the programs they operate to demonstrate and educate visitors about Native arts. She also discusses the Cultural Center's current projects, how artists are chosen and what they do at the Center, the importance of the Center to Alaska Native artists, the relationship between the Center and the community of Sitka, and the role of elders in the Center. As an artist herself, Jan advocates for the importance of art as a form of creative and cultural expression.

Louis Minard was interviewed on December 8, 1999 by Kristen Griffin and Karen Brewster at the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center in Sitka, Alaska. At the time of the interview, Louis was eighty-four years old, had a broad face, and wore thick smoke-tinted glasses which shaded his eyes. He was about 5' 4" tall and walked assisted by two aluminum crutches, since rheumatoid arthritis and two hip replacement surgeries made it difficult for him to walk. After over twenty years of talking to Sitka National Historical Park visitors about his carving, he was comfortable with public speaking and the interview setting. He spoke thoughtfully and with determination, and his straight-forward answers to questions made it clear that he had thought about and discussed these topics before. He told stories with the emphasis and suspense of a good performer. Louis took a break from cutting a fine-lined design in a gold bracelet he was making to talk to us. In preperation for our interview, he took the magnifier lens off his glasses, turned off the bright, swing-arm lamp over his work area, and pulled off his work apron and hung it over his bench. We also turned off the small electric space heater at his feet to keep its noise off the recording. In this interview, Louis sat in his high-legged chair behind his workbench and talked about how he got involved with silver carving, who his teachers were, the importance of knowing history, and his long association with the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center as an artist, tradition bearer, and educator. He also talks about the Killer Whale Clan House origin story, the importance of the Cultural Center for Native artists, and receiving the Governor's Award for the Arts.