Plywood boards cover the windows and doors of the building that used to house the Thane Ore House Salmon Bake. Run-down and weathered by the high winds and rain, \u2018no trespass\u2019 signs warn people to keep out.<\/p>\n
On a drizzly overcast Saturday, a handful of fishermen drove down a bumpy, gravel road past the building and parked in its empty lot. They walked with their poles to a quiet sandy beach tucked behind the property just a few yards away. A couple more people followed, dragging heavy equipment behind them, to try their luck dredging gold in the channel.<\/p>\n
The only other sounds outside were the seagulls overhead.<\/p>\n
By next spring, it will be a completely different scene. The shuttered salmon bake, closed a few years ago after the previous owners failed to pay city sales taxes and defaulted on the lease, will be transformed into a cultural immersion park for tourists.<\/p>\n
The City and Borough of Juneau awarded the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska a 35-year land lease for the property this week. The federally recognized tribe has big plans for the space.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re creating a cultural activity interactive park,\u201d Myrna Gardner, Central Council\u2019s business and economic development manger, said during a tour of the property Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cSee that old dilapidated building?\u201d she said, pointing to a little, rusty car port in the parking lot. \u201cWe\u2019ll get rid of that, and we\u2019re going to put like these long car ports, in this corner, and then another one in this corner, and another one over here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under one shelter, a master carver and five young apprentices will carve 30-foot long traditional Tlingit canoes. Under the second, another carver and a group of youth will carve canoe paddles. The third corner will have a weaver showing children how to weave traditional Haida baskets. Perhaps a fourth will feature an elder demonstrating how to harvest and make salve out of the prickly devil\u2019s club plant.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur plan is to not only teach our children, but we\u2019re going to share with our guests that come to visit us that we\u2019re a living culture,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cWe\u2019re not a textbook. It\u2019s not like those Tlingits who once lived \u2014 we are, and we\u2019re active, and we exist every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Cultural immersion<\/strong><\/p>\n The overall goal of the venture, Gardner said, is to teach tourists about the Tlingit and Haida cultures and also to create job opportunities for tribal members.<\/p>\n Gardner estimates it will create about 200 jobs, ranging from landscaping and restoration jobs once the renovations begins to actual employment at the center once it\u2019s complete.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s going to be very busy here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The tribe plans on bringing tourists to the site, located four miles south of downtown Juneau on Thane Road, by bus.<\/p>\n Outside, employees will speak in Tlingit and guide guests around to the various set-ups, showcasing the work of the carvers and apprentices.<\/p>\n Inside, there will be a restaurant that serves traditional food, such as salmon, blueberry and salmonberry desserts and tea. Conveniently, the building is already set up for that, although the interior is a mess right now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re contracting with people to come in and clean it out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n A stage inside will feature Native Alaskan dance group performances. A retail gift shop will be set up in one of the rooms and will sell Native artwork from carvings to masks to sea otter wear.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re also planning to have a weekly resident artist, so some days you\u2019ll be able to come in and see someone like Doug Chilton, whose a renown silver carver, work on his bracelets. You\u2019ll come in and see maybe Nathan Jackson working on his head masks,\u201d Gardner said.<\/p>\n The building itself, erected in 1982, will be restored into a traditional Tlingit longhouse, complete with corner house posts of an Eagle and Raven to represent two moieties of the Tlingit people.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not yet known if the existing structure will be torn down, or if a new facade and siding will be built and placed over it. Gardner said that will be up to the engineers.<\/p>\n Gardner said the site will be somewhat similar to other cultural destinations in Southeast, such as Icy Strait Point in Hoonah and the Whale House in Kassan.<\/p>\n \u201cHere in Juneau, there wasn\u2019t really a place where you could experience that,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cOut here, you\u2019re going to hear the eagles sing, you\u2019ll hear the ravens call. So what a beautiful experience if you\u2019re a guest and you\u2019re walking around here, and you\u2019re meeting some of our people, and they\u2019re sharing their knowledge with you, and you get to experience that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not just a summer enterprise<\/strong><\/p>\n Central Council plans on keeping the building open all year long, not just during the summer months when the tourists are in town.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to be like the other businesses \u2014 last ship leaves, they shut their lights off,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cWe\u2019re into keeping active here and keep doing what we do best, which is our language and our culture, and teaching it.\u201d<\/p>\n In the off-season, Gardner imagines there will be opportunities for artist workshops, dance lessons, potlatches and other community events.<\/p>\n Once the longhouse is built, Gardner said she imagines it will be a lovely place for a wedding and reception.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause we\u2019re a federally recognized tribe and we have our own tribal court, we actually are chartered to perform marriages,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really about the respect for our culture, and sharing it,\u201d Gardner said about the future park. \u201cWe\u2019re very proud people, and we believe it\u2019s our responsibility to share our knowledge, not only with our children, but the people we live with. It makes a stronger community.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Plywood boards cover the windows and doors of the building that used to house the Thane Ore House Salmon Bake. Run-down and weathered by the high winds and rain, \u2018no trespass\u2019 signs warn people to keep out. 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