On Oct. 21st: President Joe Biden awarded Sealaska Heritage Institute President Dr. Rosita Worl with a 2023 National Humanities Medal at the White House.
Dr. Rosita Worl is an important part of Trickster Company. Her love, her stories, her lessons and her values are the foundation of our mission, vision and why we do what we do. We are thankful for her wisdom, guidance and her love. Sunday family dinners are when we spend time with her to share traditional foods, debate, laugh and hear her many sayings such as "tomatoes don't grow potatoes".
Congratulations Gramma!
The award, from the National Endowment for the Humanities, honors an individual or organization whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the human experience, broadened citizen engagement with history and literature or helped preserve and expand Americans' access to cultural resources.
Rosita was one of 10 recipients to receive the 2023 award including LeVar Burton, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Aaron Sorkin and more.
Rosita, whose Tlingit names are Yeidiklasókw and Ḵaaháni, is Tlingit of the Shangukeidí (Thunderbird) clan from the Kawdliyaayi Hít (House Lowered from the Sun) in Klukwan.
She has served as the president of Sealaska Heritage Institute since 1998.
Read the full SHI press release here: https://shorturl.at/JGioj
Or check out the Anchorage Daily News article here: https://shorturl.at/jb5SB
Watch and hear Rosita's thoughts on the award and what it meant to her.