Lee Heinmiller, right, gives a tour of the ward at Fort Seward’s historic hospital building last week. The room was used by Alaska Indian Arts to carve more than 2,500 feet of totem poles.
Chilkoot Indian Association administrator Harriet Brouillette laid out a vision for tribal management of Fort Seward’s hospital building and the parade grounds’ tribal house last week during a statewide recreation conference in Haines attended by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Brouillette’s presentation came at a three-day meeting of the Alaska Outdoor Alliance where the theme of “regenerative tourism” emphasized environmental sustainability and involvement by indigenous people.
Brouillette led a tour of the hospital building and tribal house, where Lee Heinmiller provided a history of Alaska Indian Arts, a nonprofit launched by the Heinmiller family that led Tlingit cultural programs out of the hospital building for more than 50 years.
Heinmiller is the president of the Port Chilkoot Co., the company that owns the hospital building and many other Fort properties. He’s also president of Alaska Indian Arts.
“AIA has kept Alaska Native art alive in our community until we could step up on our own and do that,” Brouillette said during the tour. “The AIA building is an important part of our overall dream for revitalizing the Fort area.”
Led by non-Natives, AIA wasn’t always the best portrayal of Native culture, but the tribe is looking to get beyond past hurts, heal and move forward, she said. “It was okay for (AIA) to do that. It was odd, but fine. It established a ‘holding place’ for tribal members,” Brouillette said. “Lee has been a place-holder for us for decades, and we appreciate that.”
Brouillette said the tribal house will be braced up this fall. Following renovations, the building would be for tribal members and perhaps for cruise-ship passengers. “It will be a center for our community and a place we can take pride in.”
Brouillette emphasized the tribe’s upcoming work on teaching Tlingit language and said she looked forward to a day when apprentice Native artists would again be working in the hospital building and families there would be learning Tlingit language.
“So much of CIA history is in that building. We want to preserve the life of that building,” she said.
Heinmiller led conference participants through a room in the hospital building containing artifacts, displaying items including an original Chilkat robe. He also spoke in the building’s open ward, where an estimated 2,500 feet of totem poles were carved during AIA’s heyday.
When dedicated in 1962, Fort Seward’s replica tribal house was the first such structure built in 100 years, Heinmiller said. It was renovated most recently in the late 1980s. Due to structural concerns, it has been closed to the public for several years.
Heinmiller said he looked forward to the buildings being used again for perpetuation of Native art. “It worked before. It should work again. It will be really good to see the kids involved. The potential for art is growing very rapidly in Southeast.”
In comments after the presentation, Brouillette said the tribe is still working on funding and a plan for renovating the buildings.
The Port Chilkoot Co. recently received a grant to make improvements to the hospital building, including heating and plumbing. The building has been unoccupied in recent years.