In September 2023, Tlingit & Haida signed a historic agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture for co-stewardship of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area (MGRA). This agreement enabled Tlingit & Haida to engage in shared decision-making for a popular, outdoor recreation area in Lingít Aaní, empowering Tlingit & Haida as stewards of the land for time immemorial to share our own history and culture with visitors.
The goal of long-term Indigenous stewardship of the MGRA is to build an adaptive and effective framework that restores balance and enables Tlingit & Haida to execute ancestral stewardship responsibilities for the land, waters, and wildlife we have always related with.
The first program launched, as a result of our historic co-stewardship agreement, was the Cultural Ambassador program with 11 tribal citizens hired to engage in cultural interpretation at the MGRA. This program was an incredible success, and we look forward to expanding the program in years to come.
Live in Peace and Harmony
The definition, ethics, and exercise of stewardship are embedded within the Lingít language and by living our traditional values and lifeways. To protect Haa Aaní is to live in accordance with Haa Shagóon – a Tlingit value that ties the past, the present, and the future together.
Speak with Care
As you take in the beauty of our traditional homelands, we encourage you to respect our traditional values and speak with care. When discussing our sacred sites, we also encourage you to learn and practice their traditional names in our languages. Below is a list of Lingít phrases that will be of use to you:
- Gunalchéesh – Thank you
- Yakʼéi ix̱wsateení – Itʼs good to see you
- Yakʼéi – They are good; it is good
- Aaa – Yes
- Tléikʼ – No
- Áakʼw Tʼáak Sít’ – The Glacier Upland from Áakʼw (Mendenhall Glacier)
- Sít’ Aant’aakú – The Glacier Behind Town (Mendenhall Glacier)
- Wooch Eelʼóox̱ʼu Héen – Runs Itself Murky River (Mendenhall River)
- Kax̱dig̱oowu Héen – Runs Clean River (Montana Creek)
- Tlax̱satanjín – Hands at Rest [Mountain] (Heintzleman Ridge / Thunder Mountain)
- Áakʼw Tʼáak – Inland of Áakʼw (Mendenhall Valley)
- Áak’w – Little Lake (Auke Lake)
- Áakʼw Tá – Head of Áakʼw [Bay] (Auke Bay)
Many of our places have multiple names; both Áakʼw Tʼáak Sít’ and Sít’ Aant’aakú are correct.
Here are some suggested questions to ask our Cultural Ambassadors:
- How long have the Tlingit people been here?
- What is the purpose of the Cultural Ambassador program?
Lingít Words
- Sít’ Aant’aakú | The Glacier Behind Town (Mendenhall Glacier)
- Áakʼw Tʼáak Sítʼ | The Glacier Upland from Áak’w (Mendenhall Glacier)
- G̱ooch | Wolf
- Jánwu | Mountain Goat
- X̱áat | Salmon/Fish
- Ḵáa | Man/Men/People
- Sháa | Woman
- S’eek | Black Bear
- S’iknóon / Sítʼ Tuxóodzi | Glacier Black Bear
- Aas | Tree
- Ch’áak’ | Eagle
- Yéil | Raven
- Sít’ | Glacier
- Xáatl | Iceberg
- Tʼéex’ | Ice
- Hinshaya.á | Iceberg in Water
- Shéiyi | Sitka Spruce
- Shaa | Mountain
- G̱aat | Sockeye Salmon
- L’ook | Coho Salmon
- S’áxt’ | Devils Club
- X’áas | Waterfall
- Shaanáx̱ | Valley
Co-Stewardship in the News
- KTOO: Tlingit & Haida is Hiring Ambassadors to Share Lingít Culture at the Mendenhall Glacier
- USDA Forest Service: Tlingit & Haida, Forest Service Sign Agreement for Indigenous Guardians Program
- Tlingit & Haida Press Release: Tlingit & Haida and Forest Service Sign Agreements for Co-Stewardship of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area
- Local First Media Group: Tlingit & Haida and Forest Service sign agreements for co-stewardship of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area
- Juneau Empire: Forest Service, Tlingit and Haida to Co-Steward Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area
- USDA Forest Service: Historic Tribal Co-Stewardship Agreements Signed in Alaska
- Tlingit & Haida Q4 2023 Newsletter
“These lands are the traditional territory of our people. As a federally recognized tribe, it’s our responsibility to steward these lands on behalf of our people.”