Tourists who visit Skagway can ride the train, pan for gold and go mushing. And now, they can learn about its Native people from the perspective of the local Tribe.
The Skagway Traditional Council, or STC, purchased the former Skagway Sculpture Garden in 2024. Now called the Skagway Cultural Garden, the property has live weaving demonstrations, artifact exhibits and an interactive eagle experience. There’s a coffee bar and a gift shop with a focus on the traditional.
Si Dennis Jr. grew up in Skagway. His family is originally from Haines. They crossed the Lynn Canal when the fishing dwindled. Dennis said he’s not much of a public speaker. But he made an exception for the opening of the Cultural Garden.
“I hardly ever speak in front of people,” he said. “But STC, for what they’re doing and for what they’re teaching people about our culture, you know, it’s keeping it alive in Skagway. And going to that opening, just seeing what STC has done and accomplished during the time they’ve been here … it was a good feeling.”
Dennis said that when his kids were growing up, there wasn’t much access to Native culture education.
“When they were going to school, here in Skagway, they weren’t teaching anything about Tlingits and our culture,” he said.
Dennis’ son became a formline artist. With the addition of the Cultural Garden, there is room for his son, and other Native artists, to exhibit and sell their work.
“I see it as an opening for a lot of things, for a lot of people, you know. I think it’ll be good,” Dennis said.
Skagway Traditional Council is different from a lot of other tribal governments. A mission school operated in the town from 1932-1959. That means children from tribes from across the state were sometimes forced to attend the boarding school. As a result, STC is composed of members from several cultural groups, not just the Tlingit tribe.
Andrew Beierly has been the vice president of the Skagway Traditional Council for 28 years. Originally from Juneau, he came to Skagway in 1954 to attend the boarding school.
“I went to the Pious X Mission till 1959 when it closed down,” he said.
It’s an experience Beierly does not want to speak about publicly. For him, learning about his culture has been a lifelong journey.
“Well, I knew about my culture a little bit, but not much,” he said.
For the garden opening, Beierly wore his regalia, a red and black robe with an eagle on the back. The robe was a gift from Haines. It’s particularly special in Skagway where regalia is not often seen.
“From what I understand, I cannot make my own robe,” Beierly said. “And three people worked on it to finish it. And the eagle on the back is Jay Miller from Haines. He’s an artist and I knew him because I played basketball with him…”
Beierly has watched the council grow over the years. They now own housing, a tribal administration building and a commercial garden.
And he lists off all of the programs that STC has implemented to help the community: scholarships, air quality monitoring, Salmon in the Classroom, food boxes and Covid testing during the pandemic, help with internet bills for low income community members. The list is long.
“We’re here for our members, but we’re also here for the community,” he said.
Judean Gordon is a member of the STC Board of Directors. She met a seasonal worker at the cultural garden’s opening ceremony. Gordon said the woman is Native and looking to connect with the local Tribe. Gordon said she’s grateful for such a beautiful gathering place.
“It’s a place for people from all walks of life to be able to go and breathe in the history of Skagway and the Tribe. And it’s open to everyone,” she said. “We want everybody to come and enjoy it and take a moment to reflect. And just breathe in.”
Local artist Anne Marie Hasskamp will be weaving a Ravenstail robe at the garden three weeks of every month. For the first three weeks in May, she will be on-site Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
You can contact this reporter at melinda@khns.org.