For 15-year-old high school sophomore McKenzie Smalley, spending summers working at the WCA Carving Shed is about much more than just a paycheck. It is a deep connection to her Tlingit heritage and a vital step toward preserving stories that might otherwise fade away.

Over the past two summers, Smalley has worked through the Tlingit and Haida Youth Employment Services program under the WCA. While the program offers various assignments, she consistently chooses the carving shed.

“Mainly because people there are just really chill and fun to be around, but I get to be around my culture and get to draw things from my culture and get paid for it, which I find pretty fun and cool,” she said.

Working alongside experienced carvers like Linda Churchill and Mike Hoyt, she has found a space to hone her artistic skills and explore Tlingit formline designs. Though she said she initially struggled with the social anxiety of talking to tourists who frequently visit the shed, the immersive environment has left a lasting impression.

She notes that mastering the art form requires careful precision. 

“Formal (Tlingit) design is weird to say the least,” she explained. “You have to understand negative space or possible space with a decent understanding of it (to) actually know what you’re doing, or else it could look very wonky and disorganized.”

Beyond her own artwork, Smalley said she recognizes a broader community need for more artisans to carry on traditions. 

“We need more carvers, and people say that 24/7 but don’t really do anything about it,” she said. “If we get more carvers, then we could have more poles, which means more totem pole raisings, and we don’t have to wait, like 100 years for the next pole or next moment in history.”

Her cultural roots extend beyond woodworking.

Since she was 10 years old, she has participated in traditional dance performances alongside her mother, DaNika Smalley, and Virginia Oliver, who runs the federally funded Johnson O’Malley program. The afterschool program teaches Native culture and prepares students for traditional celebrations — such as the biennial Sealaska Heritage Institute-sponsored Celebration gathering in Juneau — by helping youth craft traditional items like blankets and moccasins.

Her dedication to her culture is driven by a passion for historical preservation. Because Tlingit culture historically relied on oral tradition and physical artifacts rather than a written language, she worries about stories being lost or mistranslated over generations.

“What I hope to achieve in the future is for any future stories that we might have, they don’t get mistranslated or misuse exactly how they are today, and they don’t get lost, like many of them have,” she said.

She said she wished the cultural influence could be stronger locally but noted that Tlingit isn’t being taught within the school system this year.

Schools Superintendent Joshua Garrett said the district is not offering a Tlingit language class due to lack of an instructor.

Looking ahead, Smalley hopes to continue developing as an artist with the carving shed, where her sketchbook currently sits after working there in the summer months, and generating new Tlingit designs. 

While she is still weighing her long-term career goals — including a potential interest in studying psychology at the University of Alaska Southeast — her commitment to honoring and protecting her heritage remains a central focus of her journey.