Thirteen canoes carrying Alaska Native paddlers from across Southeast Alaska and Canada arrived in Juneau on Tuesday afternoon,marking the beginning of the Celebration of Alaska Native Culture. The event, which started more than four decades ago by Sealaska Heritage Institute,is a gathering of Alaska Native people celebrating cultural revitalization.

The $30 million toe in the water

Every other June, more than 100 paddlers arrive in Juneau this way to kick off Celebration, a gathering of Alaska Native people celebrating cultural revitalization. Sealaska Heritage Institute started the event more than four decades ago.

The paddlers arrive the old-fashioned way, paddling yaakw that were carved for the occasion and requesting permission to come ashore from the local clan. Some travel from as far north as the Yukon.

Healing Journeys and Cultural Revitalization

For Alaska Native culture to continue to flourish , the next generation has to be grounded in place, according to X'ash Kugé ka Yaanasax Barbara Cadiente-Nelson, a tribal council member and secretary for Douglas Indian Association.

As she watched the yaakw arrive downtown, she said that the young people singing and dancng are connected to place, understanding, and growing in their responsibility as Lingít, Haida, Tsimshians.

My name is Ughąts'etsӓna Ma. I'm Crow Clan. We're from Dakwäkäda,Haines Junction, Yukon. We're looking to celebrate now. The journey was great. It was really a healing journey for a lot of us, not just our boat, but from the experiences that we've shared together.

Who is the unnamed buyer?

The event, Celebration, is a gathering of Alaska Native people celebrating cultural revitalization and started more than four decades ago by Sealaska Heritage Institute. Paddlers arrive at Auke Recreation Area from across Southeast Alaska and Canada and ask Ák’w Kwán elders on shore to come into the community for Celebration on June 2, 2026.

It's going to be good to see family and family, and family and friends, and it's a beautiful day, so the ancestors are happy also.

A familiar pattern from the 2019 crash

After he landed,Shangukeidí Casey Moats stood up to greet the crowd and T'aaḵu Ḵwáan elders. he said being a part of a yaakw journey is a symbol of how much he's learned about his community and culture.

I had heard that I would never know my language. I'd never belong to a clan. I'd never have a name. I wouldn't know my songs. And to do this means everything in the whole world.

What auditors flagged in the May filing

Celebration officially starts Wednesday, with a Grand Entrance parade into Centennial Hall downtown. Over the coming days, there will be events broadcast live statewide on KTOO 360TV and stream on Sealaska Heritage Institute's website.