09/13/2026
I was honored to present a legislative citation this week to Tlingit Elder Florence Marks Sheakley, Ḵaakal.aat, recognizing her extraordinary contributions to Alaska Native language, culture, and arts. I encourage you to read the text of Florence's citation, she is an inspiration!
Florence’s Tlingit (Lingít) names are Ḵaakal.áat, Ḵaatuwulatseen, and L Yei Sakg ̱waxeex Tláa. She belongs to the Yéil moiety, the Lukaax̱ .ádi clan, is Chookaneidí Yádi, and is of the G̱eisán Hít and Shaká Hít clan houses. Her Lingít lineage is strong and makes her what is called “chush gudachx̱ án” (her own grandparent), and she descends from a family with a strong history of storytelling, leadership, and wealth. She was born in Juneau and grew up on Douglas Island where her family lived a subsistence lifestyle. Lingít was the primary language spoken in her childhood home and the traditions and values of her people were the way of being. It was there she learned beadwork at the age of nine from her mother, renowned beader, Seig ̱ eig ̱ ei Emma Marks, passing along a tradition that has been in her family for generations. Since then, Florence has become widely recognized for her own artistry, winning an award as a master beader and having her work featured in museum collections in Anchorage and Juneau.
She is a respected Tlingit Elder, one of the last remaining high-fluency birth speakers of Lingít, a teacher, and artist, and a powerful culture bearer who has dedicated her life to the preservation and revitalization of the Lingít language. Florence has taught Lingít for many years, including at the University of Alaska Southeast, in the Tlingit Language Culture and Literacy (TCLL) in the Haa Yoo X̱ ʼatángi Kúdi (Lingít Language Nest), and throughout schools in the Juneau School District. Florence is the teacher of teachers and has served as a mentor and language adviser in immersion and revitalization efforts, guiding and inspiring new
generations of speakers. Her contributions extend to translation and educational materials, including the translation of children’s books and cultural works into Lingít, helping ensure that the language continues to thrive among Alaska’s youth. Florence is also a well-known community leader, serving multiple terms as a delegate to the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida, and her efforts have strengthened the identity and heritage of Southeast Alaska communities. As Florence once shared in in a KTOO article, “At home we hardly ever spoke any English. One of the things that grandma told us was if you stop speaking your language, that means you’re ashamed of who you are.”
In 2017, Sealaska Heritage Institute chose Florence and four other language advocates to lead the Haa Shuká Community Language Learning Project. In 2022, she was one of four people awarded the G̱astín Tá Gooch Clarence Jackson Sr. Language Awards during its inaugural year, and the Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska named her the recipient of the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023. She is one of the most important contributors to Indigenous language revitalization in Alaska. If the Lingít language survives and becomes strong again, it will be because of her tireless efforts and desire to have people speaking Lingít in the ways that it was spoken when she grew up among the greatest speakers of her generation. In Juneau, April 18 is celebrated as Florence Marks Sheakley Day.
The members of the Thirty-Fourth Alaska State Legislature commend Ḵaakal.aat Florence Marks Sheakley, for her lifelong dedication to preserving and advancing Lingít language, art, and culture, and for her enduring impact on the people of Alaska.
