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A few years ago I was talking to my son about working back in Alaska. "He used to manage" a program called Alaska Native Voices Educational Institute. ANV is focused on the visitors that come to Siteeyi Gheeyi/Glacier Bay on Cruise ships during the tourist season. My Employment Mid April - early October from 2024-2026. The focus is on the Xuna/Hoonah Tlingits whose Ancestral Village is Siteeyi Gheeyi/Glacier Bay Alaska. I looked into this program which is a subsidiary of Hoonah Totem Corporation and is a non-profit organization which is managed by HTC. The offical name for this non-profit is "Alaska Native Voices Educational Institute" . I realized that I have been preparing for this type of employment throughout my life, since I have been a part of Alaska style dance groups over 30+ years and have been the spokesperson of a couple of them as well. I do some storytelling, Language and being a Tlingit Artist/Carver and formline kind of rounds it off. I see myself as being a Cultural Bearer and a Tlingit elder.
Before coming to work in Siteeyi Gheeyi/Glacier Bay for ANV-Alaska Native voices Educational Institute, I was already working on cruise ships with my wife living on them and being employed as an independent contractor- Tlingit Ambassadors they called us. What I would do on these ships is do power point presentations , carving demonstrations of Tlingit masks, teach Tlingit songs and dance, and Tlingit language as well. We wore our Tlingit Regalia and go out on the bow of these ships when we were in the Glacier fields visiting a Glacier. We took our Gaaw/Drum with us sang a few songs, answered questions, and availed ourselves to taking pictures with the passengers as well. We/ My wife Ivy Fulmer and I would also wear our regalia when going to breakfast and dinner etc. This way more people got to know us, an opportunity to hand out business cards etc. again answer more questions and photo with the passengers.
Fred & Ivy Fulmer aboard the Celebrity Solstice as Tlingit Ambassadors on an Alaskan cruise "Dressed In Our Regalia".I'm holding 'Kasteen-Spirit of Siteeyi Gheeyi/Glacier Bay Mask".
Fred & Ivy Fulmer In Regalia at the Glacier
Ivy and I had a good time working on these cruise ships throughout the years. It was an eye opener when we did our first cruise. It was confusing and exciting at the same time. We carried enough luggage for 4-5 people. All our regalia, carving material and tools. Along with our display added up to more than what a passenger would bring. We even had a 4ft tall Tlingit Devilfish mask I carved out of old growth red cedar and the crew would bring it to all the areas we would be presenting Tlingit culture and obviously when doing carving demonstrations. That large Tlingit mask was my Mona Lisa and I would cringe as they would pack it up and bring it to us. I didn't want it to get banged up or dents or pieces broken.
Learn how the Chookaneidee earned the right to use the Devilfish as one of our clan crests.
Tlingit Carving Demonstration - 4ft Tlingit Devilfish Mask Left Side of room.
The above picture was when we were on the Celebrity Solstice. I was brought on as an independent Tlingit At Katch'aak'u/carver, doing carving demonstrations like what you see in the picture. Ivy came on as my helper. She would walk around with a microphone and one of my pieces of completed carvings or ones that are in progress. She would take many of them around and when passengers had a question she would get my attention and say a person has a question. Worked out great, passengers would ask questions and I would answer them, all the while still Xu't'aa/Adzing on the Tlingit mask on the Xu't'aa/Adzing block. Ivy told after we had been doing this for sometime, since she would take pieces of my art and microphone around to show passengers and have the microphone ready for questions. She said 'I'm your Vanna White!' We both started to laugh, because in a sense she was like that!
Shop Ivy's Drums
13in Contemporary Lion Hand Drum By Ivy Fulmer
10 inch Bigfoot Contemporary Hand Drum by Ivy Fulmer
17" Contemporary Hand Butterfly Drum By Ivy Fulmer
13in Dragon Hand Drum
15" Hummingbird Painted Drum
13in Tlingit Dragonfly Hand Drum Collaboration
Explore my older Blogs from 2009 at fredfulmer.blogspot.com ▶️
I also did a Lecture about "How the Chookaneidí Clan Earned the Rights to Use the Devilfish/Octopus as a Crest" at Sealaska Heritage Institute for their Lecture Series September 13th 2022.
"Gunalchéesh (Thank you) for being part of this journey! I'm on a mission to reach 10,000 subscribers to help preserve and share Tlingit culture with the world. Please subscribe to join our community!"
"This is my 3rd Season 2026 of seasons 2024-2026 working with Alaska Native Voices Educational Institute as a Cultural Interpreter in Glacier Bay National Park, representing the Xuna/Hoonah Tlingits"
"Fred Fulmer has served twice as a Resident Artist at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture at the University of Washington."
Follow along with my journey as a Tlingit Elder/Cultural Bearer — I have documented over 1,177 videos of my experiences, carvings, and cultural presentations. Watch them on my YouTube channel: Fred Fulmer Tlingit Artist ▶️.
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