‘Mana’ oral history project brings Alaska’s Filipino stories to life
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 18, 2023
Contact: mana.akhistory@gmail.com
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA — Filipinos settled in Alaska beginning in the late 18th century. Yet, little is known about their origin stories and the communities they helped build. With narrative storytelling connecting the past and present, “Mana: The History We Inherit,” is a window into the histories of Filipinos in Alaska.
“Mana,” an audio-visual archive, will honor Alaska’s Filipino elders with photos and stories sourced from Filipinos across Alaska. Journalist Shayne Nuesca, documentarian Joshua Branstetter and community builder Tasha Elizarde are the project leads and organizers of “Mana” which will kick off with a pop-up exhibition and community event at the Anchorage Museum this October.
“Mana” invites Filipinos from all regions of the state to contribute to the archive. The public can submit their stories for consideration for the exhibition at manaalaska.com. Submissions are due July 15. The exhibition will open October 28.
“The vision we have for ‘Mana’ is incomplete without stories from our community from Anchorage to Utqiagvik, Juneau to Kodiak and beyond. We want as many Filipinos in Alaska as possible to share their part of history,” said “Mana” co-producer and editor Shayne Nuesca.
“I want people to see our elders the way I do: beautiful, layered, hard-working individuals who have shaped our state for the better,” said executive producer Joshua Albeza Branstetter.
“I want other Filipinos to look at ‘Mana’ and think, ‘Wow, I never knew how incredible my community is. I'm so proud to be a part of it,’” said co-producer Tasha Elizarde.
“Mana” (pronounced MAH-nuh) is the Tagalog root word meaning “inheritance” or “to inherit.” Along with sharing the oral history of Filipinos in Alaska, the exhibition is a gift to future generations — what they will inherit.
The exhibition is independently produced by the Mana team.
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