Introduction

The Dauenhauer Literary Estate collection is of immense value and importance to the Tlingit language learning and speaking community in Southeast Alaska, and to Tlingit scholars throughout the world. The collection will provide this audience and the public with access to unique resources that will open a window into Dauenhauer’s thought processes, methodology, and unpublished materials. As stated by a respondent to SHI’s needs assessment conducted for this project, “[Nora and Richard] were both highly intelligent and prolific scholars. Nora’s work is valuable as she was so deeply rooted in her culture. She taught many and is loved by many. We should do everything we can to preserve her work. It is not a matter of money. The value of her work is immeasurable.”