‘Still here, willing to learn’: Students learn endangered language, connect with Tsimshian culture in free summer class
Posted by Molly Lubbers | Jul 22, 2021
Terri Burr tells a migration route story as one of her students Sonya Klippert looks on. Burr started her summer Shmˈ
algyack language class with Tsimshian history, before students were ever asked to make a sound. (Molly Lubbers/KRBD)
The Tsimshian language is endangered, with just a handful of fluent speakers in the U.S. But people interested in adding to that number can take a class for free this summer.
Rain or shine, Terri Burr is meeting with students every Tuesday and Thursday until August 12 to spread knowledge about the Tsimshian language and culture.
Ketchikan Charter School held a virtual assembly on Tuesday in recognition of Elizabeth Peratrovich Day.
The Tlingit civil rights leader and her work toward equal rights for Alaska Native individuals has been celebrated every Feb. 16 since 1988, when the Alaska Legislature designated the day in her honor.
Peratrovich, who was born in Petersburg in 1911 and graduated from Ketchikan High School, worked along with her husband, Roy Peratrovich, to secure civil rights for Alaska Natives. In 1945, she advocated for equal treatment and opportunities for Alaska Natives in front of the Alaska Territorial Legislature, leading to the passage of the Anti-Discrimination Law of 1945.