Documentary

We Wear Our History: Northwest Coast Regalia Stories

A 55-minute video documentary by a team of Northwest Coast Alaska Natives began its research phase in 2004, presenting a series of vignettes, personal and clan Regalia stories by tribal members of Southeast Alaska and Canada including the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian. In these vignettes, Northwest Coast tribes share unique regalia of robes and objects that show clan ties, folklore, family stories, dreams, and detail descriptions of regalia design, creation and ownership. Click here to visit the website for information about the Northwest Coast Native Dance Regalia Project.

Photo Booth during "Celebration 2004"
Over 100 participants were photographed and documented during the first Regalia Project Photo Booth at Celebration 2004. Photographers Donna Foulke & Clarissa Hudson (Foulke & Hudson) truly appreciate everyone who came out to be photographed and documented and who walked away with photographs of themselves and/or family members. Foulke & Hudson wish to express their thanks to the participants for their patience and understanding during the first year; for sure, there were many "bugs to work out!"

The Dance Regalia Documentary Project is sponsored by Artstream Cultural Resources with grant support from the Alaska Humanities Forum. Clarissa also received the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian "Visiting Artist" Fellowship Award for researching and documenting the collections of Northwest Coast Native dance regalia (with an emphasis on Chilkat weaving) at various museums on the East Coast in November 2006. Click here to read the narrative about her research.

Click here for Juneau Empire news article on "Dance Regalia Documentary Project" June 2004.