Haa aani haa jeex’ yéi kkwatee
-Our land will return to our hands
NAHAAN
Nahaan’s matrilineal lineage is of the Tlingit, his grandfather is Iñupiaq, his biological father of the Paiute and his actual father is of the Kaigani Haida. He focuses exclusively on working within the spirit and design style of the Northwest Coast practices and customs of ceremonial tattooing, wood carving, copper and abalone jewelry, painting and custom designing of regalia and tattoos. Nahaan emulates the strong visual and oral storytelling that has been handed down from generation to generation, it’s the foundation of his work, way of living and teaching of his cultural traditions. Within the realms of language arts and expression, Nahaan teaches the Tlingit language through traditional songs, dances and free Indigenous only community classes as a service to his community. He is the leader for Tlingit based inter-tribal group Náakw Dancers, a group he started in Seattle, Washington in 2014, in order to perpetuate the rich expressions of the Pacific Northwests Native population. Nahaan is also a spoken word poet and co-founded “Woosh Kinaadeiyí” poetry slam in Juneau, Alaska in 2010 which has since grown into a thriving and creative mainstay in the capitol city. He focuses on the aspects of community empowerment and self mastery through the methods of dekkkolonization, Indigenization, education and activism. He offers workshop facilitation and keynotes for conferences, schools, and events near and far. Nahaan is based on the ancestral lands of the Dxʷdəwʔabš (Duwamish), Muckleshoot and Suquamish Nations aka Seattle.
Cultural Presentations
Tattoo
Custom Artwork
Store
::Contribute MONETARILY::
-Indigenous people should not be paying rent on lands that were stolen from them
-Nahaan volunteers much of his time educating his people with mentorship, carving, formline design, and Tlingit language.
-Nahaan recognizes that paying a university or a corporation to practice any part of Tlingit culture is problematic and omits community members who may have been raised in and or currently living in poverty.
-Your contribution will go directly to supporting Nahaans existence which is resistance to colonization.
-Land Back-Housing security is rare for Indigenous people whom own only 2.5% of the so called “united states” while white colonizers own 43.9%. If you would like to buy land and return it to Indigenous people-there is a way to do so.
Gunałchéesh (Thank you)