Memorial Potlatch in Allakaket, Alaska

YKSD Book Slam / 2019-2020

Long Ago Grandpa Linburg remembers his first potlatch from1938. He was excited to visit&#160;Allakaket. The trip from the fish camp was by boat and took a few days.&#160;&#160;

Before Potlatch Begins A small amount of different foods were placed on a plate or napkin with gum and tobacco. Adults would burn this to send their loved one on their way with their first meal in their new life.

So Much Food! According to Pollock, in the past everyone was speaking the native language. They used to share more traditional foods like caribou, moose, ptarmigan, and porcupine. They served the &#8220;large black animal,&#8221; but girls were not allowed to eat that meat. If they were lucky enough to get a &#8216;large black animal&#8221; out of its den, the fat meat was prized and shared with the person who provided it first. Today, one might see ham or chicken but still today, it is mostly traditional foods.

Fish Tails are Hung The members of the community would hang a fish tail inside their home, over the door and spread ashes in the doorway. Pollock said, &#8220;The devil would not step over the ashes.&#8221; Fish bones are put in the children and visitor&#8217;s pockets to protect them from the spirits.&#160;&#160;

Showing Respect and Honor People often wear traditional clothing. Men wear a white shirt and a moose skin vest to show respect. Women wear bets'egh hoolaanee.&#160;To allow the one who has passed time to rest, things are quieter in the village and homes during the time between the passing and the time of burial. Women do not sew or work on beadwork during this time.&#160;Fiddle dance at the end of a potlatch shows respect.&#160;

Gifting On the third night, after dinner, is the time for gifting. Giving gifts represents the person who passed coming back and giving out the belongings they no longer need. Family members share small gifts with everyone. Gifts are small beaded items, knives, or needed items like flashlights, and dish towels. The family also places some personal items belonging to the person who passed in the middle for others to take. The full wolf and wolverine hides used in the cloth dance are then cut into strips to be given away and used as ruffs on parkas. Women take lighter colors and men take the darker colored fur strips.&#160;

Why is there a giveaway?

Why do they have cloth dances during a Potlatch?

Gift giving represents the person whom passed coming back and giving out the stuff they no longer need. It helps families to allow them to move on.

In the past the Natives tied fur and skin to the cloth. Dancing and singing has been a part of the Potlatch for centuries.

Why are you supposed to put the stuff you receive outside for 24 hours before bringing it in?

Handed down by Elders. The stuff is passed around by the spirit of the person who died, so leaving it outside allows the Spirit of that person to pass on.

When they were alone at camp, when people came by, you served them tea and offered them food. This is how it started. They got together for New Years Eve and 4th of July and shared food and drink with each other. This is where it all started.

Why do people dance at the end of Potlatch?

Have the Allakaket Potlatches changed through the years?

Maybe the person that passed was lucky, so the dancing gives the person passing on that luck to the people at the Potlatch. If they are a relative, you want to participate in the dancing. It shows respect to the person that passed.

Potlatches have stayed the same but the food has changed. Forty years ago there was not ham, chicken or turkey. It used to be more traditional food, like porcupine for Birthday Parties. Language has changed. Children spoke Native language and now they speak English.

Why do Natives wear traditional clothing during the Potlatch?

Why do people keep fishtails in their pockets?

Honor. There may be an important meeting. Someone important may have been invited to attend and if you go behind the curtain, then you want to show who you are with traditional clothing. Men wear a white shirt and Moose skin vest. It honors the person you are having a Potlatch for.

Fishbones mixed with wood ash in the pocket keep the evil spirits away. Natives used to sprinkle it around the house to scare the devil. The devil wouldn&#8217;t step over the ashes.

What is Memorial Potlatch? A memorial potlatch is a celebration to help move people who have passed from this life to their new life, as well as to allow the family and community to show respect and honor to that person by sharing a last meal with the person who passed. The potlatch lasts three days.&#160;Pollock shared, &#8220;There are other kinds of potlatches on New Year&#8217;s Eve and 4th of July.&#8221;

Playing a Game of Pan When the potlatch is over and the clean up is complete, the adults gather around tables in groups of 9 with 9 decks of cards to play a game that is sort of like today&#8217;s Rummy.&#160;The air is light and there is laughter again in the community hall.

Cloth Dance According to Valerie, there is a traditional Cloth Dance after dinner the first two nights of potlatch. Women would twist cloth squares and tie them together to make a long rope like circle. Men would drape full wolverine and wolf furs over the twisted cloth and lift them up and down as they go around in a circle, dancing. The women can only touch the cloth. The one who has passed may have been lucky and they can pass that luck to the people at the potlatch.&#160;

How They Lay Out the Memorial Potlatch for the Community Today, a blue tarp is laid in the middle of the room with all the food in various size pots and pans to be distributed to the family and community.&#160;Next, according to Grandma Becky, they spread white paper for the children to sit and eat in front of the adults. The parents sit on benches and the Elders sit at tables.&#160;

Why do the adults play Pan after Potlatch?

To get together and have fun so they wouldn&#8217;t be sad.

To the Allakaket elders who generously contributed to the text throughout this book. It could not have been made without the sharing of your valuable cultural knowledge.

Why do they lay down the white paper on the floor for us to put our food on?

It&#8217;s for the kids to sit on the floor in front of the parents.

Why do they burn a plate full of food, gum, and tobacco before they serve the food?

To feed the person we&#8217;re having the Potlatch for.

Why do we hang fish tails up by the door?

To keep the spirits away from the house and bless the house. We also put fish bones in the kids&#8217; pockets so the spirits will stay away from them, and we don&#8217;t let them go out after dark.

Why do we cook food and bring it up to the hall?

So we can eat and gather together to share.

Book Slam Participants Allakaket School, Allakaket, Alaska

Teachers Sarah Bailey: Pre-K/K-2 Mary Sue Linus: Pre-K/Teacher&#8217;s Aide LaToya Greist: Teacher&#8217;s Aide Judith Withers 3-5 Terri Schuetz 6-7 David Fields 8-12 Kelli Biggs: Reading Specialist Students K - Blaise E. 1 - Gordon B. 1 - Cullen C. 1 - Conner M. 1 - Lucas M. 1 - Alice S. 1 - Sophie S. 2 - Caleb B. 2 - Desyray C. 2 - Mackenzie R. 3 - Isaiah M. 3 - Hazel S. 4 - Tristan L. 4 - Gabe N. 4 - Collin R. 5 - Nevaeh C. 5 - Shyla N. 5 - Evan S.

Students (continued) 6 - Joy B. 6 - Sidney B. 6 - Terrance S. 7 - Simon N. 8 - Nicole B. 8 - Stuart B. 12 - Rhea L. Community Member &#38; Elders Pollock Simon, Grandma Becky Linus, Grandpa Lindburg Bergman, Valerie Bergman, Rolland Linus, Harding Sam Thanks To Principal Larry Parker and Superintendent Kerry Boyd for their leadership in making the Allakaket Book Slam possible. Book Slam Project Management Steve Nelson, Project Coordinator, Association of Alaska School Boards Cheryl Bobo, Site Facilitator &#169; 2020 Yukon-Koyukuk School District

bets'egh hoolaanee - In Athabascan culture, traditional clothing sewn and worn by the women in the community. Cloth dance - Family and community members purchase cloth to participate in cloth dance during potlatch.&#160;The women tie the pieces of cloth end-to-end to form a complete loop.&#160;While the participants hold the cloth loop, they walk in a circular pattern following the rotation of the sun, a memorial song is sung by an Elder.&#160;Some parts of the cloth are covered with full skin of a wolf, wolverine, or beaver.&#160; &#160; &#8220;Large black animal&#8221; - In Athabascan culture, women are neither allowed to say the word &#8220;bear,&#8221; eat the meat, nor touch the fur. Therefore, the animal is referred to as the &#8220;large black animal&#8221; or &#8220;big animal.&#8221; &#160; Pan - Card game very similar to Rummy played by adults when potlatch is complete and hall is cleaned.&#160;The card game is played well into the night and is said to bring happiness back into the community after potlatch. &#160; Parka - Heavy, large, windproof coat with a hood worn during cold winter months. Potlatch - Traditional ceremonial feast in which family and community members come together to eat, participate in cloth dance, fiddle dance, and gift giving.&#160;The possessions of the deceased are given or destroyed to display wealth or enhance prestige. &#160; Ruff - Fur sewn onto the hood of a parka to keep the wind off the face of the wearer.&#160;

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