<p>In 1982, the fledgling Native nonprofit Sealaska Heritage Institute held a dance-and-culture festival to celebrate the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures of Southeast Alaska. A couple of hundred Native people gathered in Juneau for the event, called <i>Celebration</i>. They could not have imagined then that <i>Celebration</i> woud spark a movement across the region - a renaissance of Native culture that prompted people largely unfamiliar with their heritage to learn their ancestral songs and dances and to make regalia for future <i>Celebration</i>s.</p><p>Today, <i>Celebration</i> is the largest cultural event in the state, drawing thousands of people to the five-day biennial festival. <i>Celebration: Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian Dancing on the Land</i>, featuring the work by the noted Alaska photographer Bill Hess, includes images from the first <i>Celebration</i>s to the present-day festivals. It is both an introduction to Native cultures and a cherished keepsake for the people who have participated in <i>Celebration</i>.</p><p>Sealaska Heritage Institute is a regional Native nonprofit organization serving the indigenous peoples of Southeast Alaska. The Institute was founded in 1980 to administer cultural programs for Sealaska Corporation, a Native for-profit company formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. The Institute's mission is to perpetuate and enhance Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures.</p> Read Less