In this episode of Our Grandparent’s Teachings, our host Chuck Miller explains how winter fits into the cycle of Tlingit way of life. Autumn is for hard work during the harvesting season and after the harvest, in December, is a time of reflection, community sharing and storytelling. In this episode we get back to traditional storytelling with the help of our guest speaking, Shaagunaastaa (Bob Sam), an iconic Tlingit storyteller who has traveled across the U.S and Europe sharing legends and Tlingit history for a wide audience. We will also hear from the archives from one of the most revered Tlingit elders from the 1970s as well as songs from the Kaagaanwaan and Kiks’adi clans and some reflections. Please join us and we hope you enjoy this rich history.

If you have a story you would like to share, please reach out to storytelling@kcaw.org.

The radio version airs live on 91.1 & 104.7 FM on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 PM AKST (8 PM Pacific Time) on KCAW from Sitka, Alaska, on Lingít Aaní land. Produced in collaboration with the Sitka Tribe of Alaska, Artchange, Inc. & KCAW. Raven Radio Technical support for Our Grandparents' Teachings was made possible in part with funding from the Rasmuson Foundation administered by the Alaska State Council for the Arts and Artchange Inc.