...to teach the Native language at a time when the number of fluent speakers is dwindling, said Yarrow Vaara, Tlingit language specialist for the institute. "It's designed to put resources in the hands of teachers who aren't necessarily cultural...

...Teslin, a Yukon town east of Whitehorse on the Alaska Highway, and moved to Juneau in December to work as a Tlingit language specialist with Sealaska Heritage Institute. Longtime friend Jim Smarch of Teslin nominated her for the award. "For...