People paddling with Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, the first recipient of the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development grant program. Photo courtesy of Goldbelt Heritage Foundation.
Goldbelt Heritage Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Goldbelt, Inc., will teach Alaska Native youth how to carve canoes with nearly a quarter million dollars in grant funding from the National Park Service. The goal is to teach Lingít culture while applying the principles of science, technology, engineering and math education to canoe making.
Desiree Jackson, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation executive director, said the 4-year grant will be the start of a continuing education program that will uphold canoe stories behind the traditional use of the canoe. The program is called “Daak Yaylatsaak,” which means “push the boat out” in the Lingít language. Jackson said the goal is for the program to be run through classrooms in Southeast Alaska during school, which she said is important for Alaska students as part of place-based education.The money is part of the first round of awards for the Native Hawaiian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development grant program.