Welcome to another episode of Impact Unfiltered, where we dive deep into honest conversations with leaders creating real change in healthcare and beyond. In this session, host Stuart sits down at the Self-Governance Conference with Richard Peterson — President of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, serving his sixth term as leader of the oldest federally recognized tribe in Alaska, with just under 39,000 citizens.
Richard Peterson shares the story behind his tribe’s historic co-stewardship agreement with the US Forest Service over the Mendenhall Glacier — a site that sees 1.6 million visitors a year and now hosts Tlingit cultural ambassadors who challenge the federal narrative that “Tlingit didn’t have anything to do with glaciers” (when in fact, migration stories and 9,000-year-old DNA prove otherwise).
He also walks through the 48-acre education campus and tribal college being built outside Juneau, the philosophy of building allyship through inclusive culture, and an unforgettable lesson from a Tongass National Forest elder: it’s the wind that makes the trees strong.
Tune in for a conversation about sovereignty, allyship, and the inherited strength of leadership passed down since time immemorial.
1. Introduction to Impact Unfiltered and Episode Overview
- The podcast’s mission: real conversations with leaders driving change in healthcare, business, and community
- Setting the scene at the Self-Governance Conference
- Introduction of guest: President Richard Peterson of Tlingit & Haida
2. Background and Role of Guest (Richard Peterson)
- President of the Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska
- Serving his sixth term
- Tlingit & Haida is the oldest federally recognized tribe in Alaska, recognized in 1935
- Just under 39,000 citizens — largest in Alaska, ~13th or 14th nationally
3. Tlingit & Haida at a Glance
- Born out of a lawsuit — Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood needed tribal status to sue for lost resources
- A regional tribe covering many communities in Southeast Alaska
- Alaska has 229 federally recognized tribes total
- Alaska’s coastline is greater than the entire lower 48 combined
4. The Mendenhall Glacier Co-Stewardship Agreement
- Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center sits on Auke Territory
- Juneau has ~32,000 residents; the visitor center sees ~1.6M visitors a year
- Agreement followed years of advocacy after a funders group asked why there was no mention of indigenous people
- Federal response had been: “The Tlingit didn’t really have anything to do with glaciers”
- Reality: Tlingit migration stories describe going over, under, and through the glaciers
- A body found in the ice field — carbon-dated over 9,000 years — has living Tlingit DNA relatives in Southeast Alaska today
- Cultural ambassadors (elders, youth, and all ages) now greet visitors
5. Allyship Through Visibility
- Economic impact matters — but “showing we’re still here” is the bigger win
- Cultural ambassadors love the work; visitors become potential allies
- Tlingit culture is inclusive, not exclusive
- Quote: “People go there and they want to see the fauna, the flora, the animals. I think you want to see the first people, the real people of the land.”
6. The Education Campus and Tribal College
- Purchased ~48 acres behind Fred Meyer in Juneau
- Will consolidate Haa Yoo X̱’atángi Kúdi (Tlingit language immersion for 3–5 year olds, no English), Head Starts, and daycare
- Plans extend through K–12 and a tribal college
- Two weeks before recording, signed an MOU with University of Alaska Southeast to expand indigenous studies in a co-management model
- Looking to learn from Iḷisaġvik College and other tribal colleges
- College will be Tlingit & Haida focused but inclusive — open to non-native students
7. Why Allyship Matters Right Now
- Richard Peterson is half Tlingit/Haida, half non-native — both parents had native mothers and non-native fathers
- The “appropriation vs. appreciation” debate matters — tribes should welcome appreciation
- The current political moment includes well-intentioned people who get it wrong because they don’t understand trust obligations
- Without building allies, tribes risk becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy of “just going away”
8. The Vision: Healthy Tribes Make Healthy Communities
- The ultimate goal is to graduate from co-stewardship to full tribal stewardship and management
- Tlingit & Haida have been leaders since time immemorial
- Partnership with the City and Borough of Juneau has gotten better and better — illustrated by joint response to recent flooding
- Quote: “Healthy tribes make healthy communities.”
9. The Biggest Uphill Battle: Self-Imposed Limits
- The biggest battle is often the tribe’s own vision and the limitations they imagine
- How tribes see themselves, talk about themselves, and perpetuate who they are shapes what’s possible
10. Sage Wisdom: Lean Into Your Values and Show Up
- Stick with who you are
- “Our people always remember who shows up” — from a mentor
- Cultural values are the cornerstone
11. The Closing Seed: How Strong We Are
- When asked what he wants every attendee to walk away knowing
- The strength of tribes in sovereignty, culture, and values is not less than anybody else’s
- Quote: “We come from incredible strong histories as the first Peoples of Turtle Island.”
12. Leadership Lessons: Tongass Trees and the Wind
- Surround yourself with better and smarter people, and trust them
- Richard Peterson’s tribal council is full of real leaders
- An elder told him the Tongass National Forest has the strongest trees in the country — made strong by the winds that blow on them
- Quote: “It’s through adversity that we get strong.”
13. Closing Remarks and Gratitude
- Host recognition of Richard Peterson’s leadership and mindset
- Appreciation for the way Tlingit & Haida lead with inclusion and allyship
- “Gunalchéesh” — thank you in both Tlingit and Haida
