The Tlingit Book Collaboration

The Republic makes note of a new book - one that is written in the Tlingit language.

From the story...

The illustrated children's book is the result of a collaboration among contributors living in Sitka, Juneau and Hoonah, including fluent speakers, storytellers and an artist. The book comes with a CD to help with pronunciation and a separate English translation and classroom discussion guide.

Roby Littlefield, of Sitka, says that as far as she knows it's the first of its kind.

"It was something we thought needs to be done," she said. "No one else is doing it."

The children's story was written by Ernestine Hayes, an assistant professor at the University of Alaska Southeast in Juneau, and translated into Tlingit by Ethel Makinen and Littlefield. Wanda Loescher Culp, of Hoonah, illustrated the book.