Lingít Storyteller, Nourished by Lingít Aaní
I am an Indigenous Southeast Alaskan writer, editor and photographer who grew up on her ancestral lands, nourished by the culture, food and community, here in Southeast Alaska. I dedicate my life’s work to storytelling for change and uplifting all that has raised me.
My photography and writing has been published in many magazines and news outlets including the Juneau Empire, Tidal Echoes, Alaska Beacon, First Alaskans Magazine, and Alaska Forum Magazine, being awarded storytelling fellowships with both First Alaskans focused in ‘Protecting Our Ways of Life’ and Alaska Humanities Forum.
I manage communications for the Sustainable Southeast Partnership-- a collective impact network of Tribal governments, organizations, entrepreneurs, and empowered individuals across Southeast Alaska focused in cultural, ecological, and economic vitality. I consider myself a connector and amplifier in this work, drawing and fostering meaningful connections within our network and beyond.
Inquire at shaelenegrace@gmail.com
“It Should Be Known as the Kake Bombardment”
Alaska Forum Magazine
A historical look at the Kake Bombardment of 1869 which is often mischaracterized as the "Kake War," was a one-sided attack by the U.S. military. In 2024, Kake received a formal apology from the U.S. Navy as part of ongoing efforts toward healing.
“Over 150 years after the ‘Kake War,’ Kake has been actively engaging in efforts to heal its community and foster generational abundance, all while recognizing its past.”
“United on Policy”
First Alaskans Magazine
Advocating for our communities, holding our differences.
“Ultimately, the SSP and SASS are a model for moving forward and creating generational impacts in our society through the power of collaboration, investing in community priorities, and healing. This is the trifecta of building long-lasting solutions because they invest in the people who know these lands and waters best and produce a reciprocal transformation across divides in partnership.”
Thousands of artists, tens of millions of dollars annually, generations of passing on traditions.
“Art, in many ways, serves as a reflection of who we are and where we come from. It can cultivate community pride while teaching many important values in life such as patience, limitations, healthy processing, healing, emotional regulation and more while providing fulfilling careers for Southeast Alaskans. When we support the arts, we are investing in both economic and community well-being.”
“The Rocky Pass Tannery: Building the Future Through Tradition”
First Alaskans Magazine
Shaelene Grace Moler explores Indigenous Stewardship and Entrepreneurship through the story of the Rocky Pass Tannery in her home community of Kéex’ Kwaan (Kake) Alaska.
“This is a business that brings everything and everyone together: protecting the environment, providing opportunities for our people, and engaging and saving our traditional ways of life.”
Editing Projects
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Built entirely in-house by our growing storytelling team, Woven: Peoples & Place is our love letter to the Sustainable Southeast Partnership because as storytellers, we have seen and reported on the positive life-changing impacts of this work for many years. We believe in the power behind these stories and hope that you will too. These stories and voices are connected because we are connected: woven together we are strong.
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2022 and 2023 editions
Connection and community are the life threads of Southeast Alaska, and these Southeast Alaskan writers and artists capture it in this years Tidal Echoes where traditionally underserved and underrepresented voices are being elevated— giving voice to all of our collective communities.
