Goldbelt Heritage Foundation

LOCATION:  Juneau, AK
AWARD:  2021 SHIFT – Transformative Change and Indigenous Arts
PARTNER ARTIST: 
Lily Hope (Tlingit) BIO
ABOUT

Goldbelt Heritage Foundation (GHF) is a non-profit organization established in 2001 by Goldbelt Incorporated to promote cultural activities and to administer the Goldbelt scholarship program. GHF supports social and economic development opportunities; advocates for the advancement, enhancement, presentation and promotion of Alaska Native culture, language and traditional arts; promotes culturally-responsive education and job training for its Alaska Native members; and documents and preserves knowledge of the region’s historic sites, supporting activities that benefit shareholders and shareholder descendants as part of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

PROJECT

Goldbelt Heritage Foundation is partnering with 2021 SHIFT Awardee Lily Hope (Tlingit) to coordinate and execute video documentation for Hope’s project Protecting the Material Sovereignty of Our Indigenous Homelands. Hope will mentor two weavers through intergenerational research, documentation, and advocacy for traditional materials with community and global sharing opportunities. This project directly addresses Indigenous land sovereignty as the artists research, advocate, and negotiate for mountain-goat hunts to occur in the spring/summer, highlighting climate change and the protection/preservation of cedar stands, critical for use in ceremonial regalia.