[wind]
[laughing]
[Tlingit language]
Right now, you have come into our tribal house.
[Tlingit language]
You're walking into the spirit of our community.
[music, splashing, drums, chanting]
[music]
[water splashing]
Our people were settled here since time immemorial.
[music]
Glacier Bay is our ancestral homeland.
All four clans were forced out of Glacier Bay by the moving ice.
And the Raven Clan on the outer coast were washed out by a tsunami.
They moved into what is now Hoonah.
Our homeland became a national park, and so there was feelings about that.
[waves, music]
[engines]
[music]
This is a totem pole log, it is.
I mean, there's lots of other things you can make out of it too, but [laughs] what
I'm looking at is totem poles.
[music]
The way to solve problems, the way to make things happen, is to pull together.
Woosh ji.een.
Working together.
We use that word a lot.
The Tlingit language is just so beautiful.
Many people talked about building this house.
[music]
We want to build a tribal house, in Glacier Bay.
[We're gonna need ten or twelve to take them out]
The park service had a team that became advocates.
[music, hammering]
Wow!
It took us a lot of years.
The catamarans will come into Bartlett Cove.
Our ancestors, they were the original preservationists.
Stewards of our land.
[music, chanting]
Nowadays, the park service is involved, but we're thankful that they are involved.
[music]
[You're holding up the culture!]
[music]
And by pulling together with the park service,
We've got a home.
[music]
We bring the young people here because we want them to see who they really are.
They can be proud and say: 'I am Tlingit!
This is where I belong.'
You'll notice all the different house posts of the four main clans.
The Chookaneidí.
The T’akdeintaan.
Kaagwaantaan.
Wooshkeetaan.
That's my father's pole right there.
That's who I am.
Tlingit culture is spiritual.
If you stand in front of a house post, you should feel a presence.
To us it is not art, they are depictions of events that happened within the clans.
You feel a strong sense of your ancestors.
You need to feel them, when you're in here.
[music, drums, chanting]
To us, this building is a sanctuary...
[music, drums, chanting]
...use it, and make it a complement to what you are doing.
[music, drums, chanting]
So that's all we ask for our visitors and our guests; to be respectful.
We love sharing it.
Come on in!
[laughing]
We are honored with your presence, you warm my heart, and you warm my spirit.
We want you to know that you are welcome.
We welcome you.
Welcome!
[laughing]
[music]