The Bear Stands Up: The Story of Esther Shea

Overview

Produced for Alaskan Public Television, and broadcast on many PBS stations nationwide, The Bear Stands Up features Tlingit Elder Esther Shea of the Tongass Bear Clan. She dedicated her life to teaching the songs, language and values of Tlingit traditional life in Southeast Alaska. This is Esther's story-her journey from a traditional childhood living close to land and sea before being sent to a boarding school that punished her for speaking her language. She was forced to keep her culture locked inside for over forty years. At age fifty, she set out to rediscover her cultural identity. She began to teach and help her culture stand up again.