Scope and Contents: This collection contains audio recordings concerning the Tlingit Indian film Haa Shagoon, produced by the Chilkoot Indian Association in 1981.
This film follows Austin Hammond and other Tlingit Elders in documenting a day of Tlingit Indian ceremony along the Chilkoot River in 1980. The tape offers excellent footage of Tlingit prayer, oratory, riddles, singing and dancing in the context of actual ceremonial performance. It culminates in the peace ritual, performed both as a cultural event and as an appeal for justice in the struggle of the Tlingit people against the exploitation of their tribal lands and water. Although the events documented took place in 1980, the film remains powerful and timely. Written, directed and produced by Joseph Kawaky.
This collection contains copies of the film on VHS, DVD, and open reel. It is unclear if the open reel footage is the same as the feature production, or if it contains additional raw footage. University of California Berkeley contains the raw audiovisual recordings that were used to create the 1981 feature film.
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