Tlingit & Haida Welcomes Two New Managers

The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) brings in two new managers, one of them in a newly formed department.

Tlingit & Haida’s Tribal Operations division welcomed Anthony Lindoff as the new Food Security Manager, supervising traditional food security initiatives through collaboration with tribal programs and partners. One of the department’s efforts is to get Southeast Alaska Native foods into a tribe-wide distribution program.

Lindoff is the son of the late Josephine Lindoff (Tlingit) of Hoonah and the late Robert Carle (Haida) of Hydaburg. His Tlingit name is Khaakhootee and he is Kaagwaantaan (Eagle Wolf) from the Gooch Hit (Wolf House of Klukwan). He is the grandchild of the late James and Elizabeth Lindoff (Hoonah) and the late Amps and Martha Carle (Hydaburg). He was raised by his mother in Hoonah in a subsistence lifestyle.

Lindoff earned a degree in international business from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado in 2008 and began his career in economic development, working with Sealaska Corporation and Goldbelt Corporation before becoming a small business owner. Lindoff owns and operates Kaawu Shellfish Co., an oyster farm in Xutsgheeyi (Brown Bear Bay) outside of Hoonah. Since 2013, Lindoff has been a member of the Huna Totem Corporation board of directors and is currently serving as vice chair.

Lindoff says he hopes to redefine the term subsistence and what it means to live off the land. “One of my main goals of the Food Security department is to reconnect and strengthen our deep and spiritual bond to the land by normalizing hunting, fishing, and gathering our traditional foods and making them available to all tribal citizens,” he says.

Tlingit & Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson says food security has become an increasing concern for tribal members. “Especially during the pandemic and issues with Alaska Marine Highway System, our communities are seeing food shortages like never before. We are excited to stand up our new department and bring Anthony on to lead these efforts. His unique business experience coupled with his education and firsthand knowledge as traditional foods gatherer make him an ideal person to build a program to address food insecurity and assure that we can meet our goals to protect, enhance, and provide for our way of life for generations to come.”