Potlatch
Yes, the November 12 potlatch seems like a very long time ago, but I wanted to write about it as it was a very interesting experience, and this time I stayed for the whole thing!
The photo is of the stuff I got - the whole idea behind a potlatch is to invite all your family and friends, as well as community members, and they witness whatever it is that needs to be witnessed, in this case, it was a memorial for a deceased family member, as well as passing on a chieftanship from father to son, and numerous adoptions and Nuxalk name givings. So, the guests had many things to witness. To thank everyone for witnessing, the host gives away a whole lot of stuff. I didn't get a lot compared to some people, and the elders always get the most stuff. It's quite a different philosophy from ours, where the more stuff you have, the more important you are; in this culture, the more you give away, the more prestige you earn.
The event started at 4:00 sharp, which in this case was 4:45, at the Nuxalk Hall, with the Spirit Dance. For this event, they actually locked the doors so that no one is allowed in or out of the hall. Everyone was sitting at the tables, and one by one, 'spirits' of deceased family members were announced in Nuxalk, and came into the hall. The 'spirits' were masked and robed, and proceeded very slowly around the perimeter of the hall, bowing to those they passed along the way. The hall was silent except for an occassional drum beat, and the low and haunting sound of the spirit whistle. There were about 10 spirits in all who were being remembered.
Following the spirit dance was the feast. It was slim pickins for vegetarians at this feast, and all I ended up having was 2 buns! Everyone else dined on fish, deer and moose meat stew, mashed potatoes and gravy. There was salad, but by the time I got to the table, it was all gone. Desert was fruit salad, which is usually frozen cherries and raspberries, and other local fruit.
Then came the chieftanship ceremony, in which the elder chief passed his hereditary chieftanship on to his son. Incidentally, the new chief is the dad of two of my students! After this, there was name giving and adoptions.
Around10:00 p.m. there was a second round of food. This consisted of plates with open-faced sandwiches and various sweets. It was a good pick-me-up, particularly for me, as 10:00 is generally my bed time!
This was followed by the dancing, first, the children's dances, then, the women's and men's dances. The dancing was over by about 12:30, and then the family started bringing in the gifts for the give-away. They brought dozens and dozens of plastic laundry baskets full of stuff, as well as numerous boxes full of stuff. Gifts included household items, such as dish towels, bowls, mugs, cups, utensils, salt & pepper shakers, etc., then there were blankets, pillows and towels, jewelry, and food, including bags of flour, and canned fruit, jam, and applesauce. As well, there were mugs with the family crest and the date of the potlatch. And yes, I made it through the whole thing - we were out of there by 1:30 a.m.!
It was quite the event, and it was a true privilege to be there. Considering that the potlatch ceremony was banned by the government in the 1870s, partly through the influence of Christian missionaries who figured that it just wasn't right to give so much stiff away...what kind of a heathen would give all his stuff away?? I mean, really now! The potlatch was not legalized again until the 1950s, though they continued to be held in secret in many places in the Pacific northwest. It is amazing that the tradition has survived, and today it is alive and well.
Yes, the November 12 potlatch seems like a very long time ago, but I wanted to write about it as it was a very interesting experience, and this time I stayed for the whole thing!
The photo is of the stuff I got - the whole idea behind a potlatch is to invite all your family and friends, as well as community members, and they witness whatever it is that needs to be witnessed, in this case, it was a memorial for a deceased family member, as well as passing on a chieftanship from father to son, and numerous adoptions and Nuxalk name givings. So, the guests had many things to witness. To thank everyone for witnessing, the host gives away a whole lot of stuff. I didn't get a lot compared to some people, and the elders always get the most stuff. It's quite a different philosophy from ours, where the more stuff you have, the more important you are; in this culture, the more you give away, the more prestige you earn.
The event started at 4:00 sharp, which in this case was 4:45, at the Nuxalk Hall, with the Spirit Dance. For this event, they actually locked the doors so that no one is allowed in or out of the hall. Everyone was sitting at the tables, and one by one, 'spirits' of deceased family members were announced in Nuxalk, and came into the hall. The 'spirits' were masked and robed, and proceeded very slowly around the perimeter of the hall, bowing to those they passed along the way. The hall was silent except for an occassional drum beat, and the low and haunting sound of the spirit whistle. There were about 10 spirits in all who were being remembered.
Following the spirit dance was the feast. It was slim pickins for vegetarians at this feast, and all I ended up having was 2 buns! Everyone else dined on fish, deer and moose meat stew, mashed potatoes and gravy. There was salad, but by the time I got to the table, it was all gone. Desert was fruit salad, which is usually frozen cherries and raspberries, and other local fruit.
Then came the chieftanship ceremony, in which the elder chief passed his hereditary chieftanship on to his son. Incidentally, the new chief is the dad of two of my students! After this, there was name giving and adoptions.
Around10:00 p.m. there was a second round of food. This consisted of plates with open-faced sandwiches and various sweets. It was a good pick-me-up, particularly for me, as 10:00 is generally my bed time!
This was followed by the dancing, first, the children's dances, then, the women's and men's dances. The dancing was over by about 12:30, and then the family started bringing in the gifts for the give-away. They brought dozens and dozens of plastic laundry baskets full of stuff, as well as numerous boxes full of stuff. Gifts included household items, such as dish towels, bowls, mugs, cups, utensils, salt & pepper shakers, etc., then there were blankets, pillows and towels, jewelry, and food, including bags of flour, and canned fruit, jam, and applesauce. As well, there were mugs with the family crest and the date of the potlatch. And yes, I made it through the whole thing - we were out of there by 1:30 a.m.!
It was quite the event, and it was a true privilege to be there. Considering that the potlatch ceremony was banned by the government in the 1870s, partly through the influence of Christian missionaries who figured that it just wasn't right to give so much stiff away...what kind of a heathen would give all his stuff away?? I mean, really now! The potlatch was not legalized again until the 1950s, though they continued to be held in secret in many places in the Pacific northwest. It is amazing that the tradition has survived, and today it is alive and well.
posted by Beth Jay at 3:32 PM
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