Sealaska Corporation

The Sealaska Heritage Institute will develop Voices of Rural America: Digitizing Interviews from the Last Frontier project to digitize radio recordings from Sitka and Wrangell’s local radio programs and support the contemporary documentation of current rural Alaskan life. The radio recordings produced for local public radio feature the voices and narratives of rural Alaskan people in the 1960s through 1990s. The collections contain interviews with local community elders, political figures, and organizations documenting community events, social life, and Alaska Native issues. The project will also fund the purchase of recording equipment that will be utilized during Celebration 2026 to establish and host Sealaska Heritage Institute’s first “pop-up” recording studio. Visitors will be able to use the recording equipment to tell stories, sing songs, or conduct interviews with loved ones. Submitted recordings will be collected and made into the Voices of Celebration 2026 archival collection. This project will help build a greater understanding and insight into rural Southeast Alaska life.