Celebration gatherings are a wonderful place for Native youth to witness cultural protocol handed down by Native Alaskan ancestors, said Rosita Worl, also known as Yeidiklats'okw of the Ch'‡ak' (Eagle) moiety of the Shangukeid’ (Thunderbird) Clan from the Kawdliyaayi H’t (House Lowered From the Sun) in Klukwan.

Respect for each other and culture is the most important thing to know about this ancient protocol, said Clarence Jackson, a Kake elder and a Tlingit of the Ch'‡ak' (Eagle) moiety and Tsaagweid’ (Killer Whale) clan.

But following protocol can be difficult.

"We have no movies or videos from a hundred years ago so we have to be the caretakers of a story that has to be kept in pristine form, and that's not easy to do," Jackson said.

He also believes that Celebration has created a cultural renaissance, bringing back protocols that were slipping away. These include the performance and ownership of songs, and the making and wearing of regalia.

Some protocols, like the Tlingit tradition of Ravens and Eagles marrying, are not strictly followed anymore, but Jackson said he believes the custom of repairing the opposite moiety's clan house might happen soon in Angoon.

This fusion of old and new traditions creates a dynamic filled with tension, or enthusiasm, depending on whom you speak with.

A belief in the circular relationship to the environment is universally shared by Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian, Worl said.

"Regalia and crests that we use are all based on spiritual relationships to our environment, to animals and to ancestors," she said. "Then you get into laws, like crests and songs are owned. When you use a song, you must acknowledge its ownership."

Alberta Jones, who is Tsimshian and Alutiiq, emphasized that respecting all cultures is especially important today because so many people walk in both worlds, like her 9-year-old son, Bruce, who is a quarter Alaska Native. He has more chances to learn more about his culture than she had growing up.

She said her son was very happy when she told him "now you can dance."

Jones is familiar with the formal protocol that states clan lineage goes through the mother, but because her mother is Alutiiq and doesn't have a clan system, she got permission from four chiefs in Canada through her Metlakatla family, to be adopted into her father's clan last summer.

Jones said being adopted and experiencing a feeling of belonging was a humbling and emotional experience.

She is also the grant specialist and project director for Alaska Native education federal grants with the Juneau School District.

"What we teach in our cultural programs in schools is to be proud of who we are and where we come from," said Jones, who is . "Listen to the elders' words and respect all cultures. We are focusing on rigor, relevance and relationships in our schools, and culture feeds into that nicely."

She also is cultural coordinator for Answer Camp, an Alaska Native retreat held every summer in Sitka where 84 students from 43 Alaska rural villages come to learn. Students are primarily Yupik, Inupiat and Athabascans.