The sealaska corporation and sealaska heritage institute will create sealaska living heritage museum boxes, portable kits comprised of museum-quality collection items with associated lesson plans…

The Sealaska Corporation, through its Sealaska Heritage Institute subsidiary, received a $248,883 Project Grant award from the Institute of Museum and Library Services' Native American/Native Hawaiian Museum Services Program (CFDA 45.308) to create portable "Sealaska Living Heritage Museum Boxes." These boxes will contain museum-quality collection items and associated lesson plans to bring culturally responsive educational experiences to elementary students in Southeast Alaska who are unable to visit the museum in person. The project activities include engaging Alaska Native artists to develop the box contents, creating accompanying educational materials, assembling the boxes, and piloting the museum box experiences with teachers and students in grades 3-5. This initiative aims to promote diversity, inclusivity, and cross-cultural understanding of Tlingit, Haida, and Ts'msyen cultures and languages, supporting teachers unfamiliar with Alaska Native traditions to effectively teach about those cultural perspectives. The award period is from July 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026.

The sealaska corporation and sealaska heritage institute will create sealaska living heritage museum boxes, portable kits comprised of museum-quality collection items with associated lesson plans and activities, to bring culturally responsive and culturally sustaining educational experiences to southeast alaska's elementary students, many of whom are unable to visit the museum due to its location. Project activities include engaging alaska native artists to create models for the boxes, creating accompanying educational materials, assembling the boxes, and piloting two museum box experiences with teachers and students in grades 3-5. This project will promote and enhance diversity, inclusivity, and cross-cultural understanding of the tlingit, haida, and TS'msyen (tsimshian) cultures and languages and support teachers unfamiliar with alaska native cultures to teach about those traditions, allowing alaska native students to feel that their cultures are valued.