You may not know the word Tliyéix, but the red, octagonal sign the word appears on tells you to “Stop!” in Tlingit.
On Friday, Mayor Doug Olerud and members of the Chilkoot Indian Association unveiled five Tlingit-language signs that have been erected near the Chilkoot Estates tribal subdivision. A “Children Playing” sign and a “Yield” sign were placed on Fair Drive, and signs for Chilkoot Street and Chilkoot Loop went up in the subdivision, above a Tlingit stop sign.
“It feels amazing, it’s really great,” said Robert Martin, whose house sits right at the intersection where the three new signs have been installed. He hopes that his daughter will see the signs and the Tlingit words will stick.
The Tlingit-language signs are a product of the newly-formed language department at the Chilkoot Indian Association. Marsha Hotch, the last birth speaker of Tlingit in the valley, teaches the language classes and was consulted for the translation of the signs.
Since certain English phrases don’t translate literally into Tlingit, getting the correct verbage was essential, and it took around a year to make sure everything was right.
Harriet Brouillette, tribal administrator at CIA, hopes the signs “will start a trend and normalize the language for our community and beyond.” She cites the example of Hawaii, where words like “aloha” and “mahalo” are known across the globe.
Part of the inspiration for this project also came from neighboring Yukon communities, including Haines Junction, where traffic signs are lettered in both English and Southern Tutchone.
The local signs serve to increase visibility of the Tlingit language, but also as reminders of the ever-evolving Tlingit culture. Gabe Thomas, who helped hammer in the signs, grew up in Klukwan and had grandparents who weren’t permitted to speak Tlingit. “That was only two generations away, and we are already making strides,” he said.
Mayor Olerud said that a policy of sending Native children to boarding schools and the accompanying erasure of Tlingit cultural practices aren’t distant. Olerud hopes the signs will reflect the Haines Borough‘s commitment to the Native community and its appreciation of Tlingit culture.
The five new signs are part of a test run; the City and Borough of Juneau made them at no cost for the Haines-based tribe. Olerud said he wants to see how the signs and their mounting hardware hold up against the elements.
If all proves successful, the goal is to have Tlingit-language signs on borough-owned roads throughout the community, Olerud said.