[1] During her 16-year career with the National Park Service, she worked to teach and preserve the culture of Alaska Natives.
[2] Her ancestral and matrilineal family is the X’aaká Hít (Point House) of the Kiks.ádi Clan (Raven moiety) of the Tlingit.
[3] Hays rediscovered her heritage, or what she called “Old Customs” of the Lingít People, at the start of her professional career.
[1] On April 17, 1967, Hays became the first woman to be admitted into the Alaska Native Brotherhood, Sitka Camp Number One.
As a park ranger, Hays launched the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center (SEAICC).