The totem pole has been carved, the gifts are prepared, the people have arrived....now let the festivities begin! It had been one year since David's grandmother had passed away, and the potlatch is a big celebration in the native culture to honor her life. It began early in the morning by visiting her grave site and then raising up the totem pole in front of David's house. There were native dancers that drummed a song while David danced, bringing the totem pole alive.
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| David Boxley with his father David Boxley. David's dad raised his first solo totem pole when he was 30 and David was doing the same on this day, as he was also 30. |
I didn't get to take a video of the toem pole raising up because Katie and I were on the end of the ropes pulling it up! The totem pole is now up, thanks to us ;) so we headed to the town hall for lunch, dinner and a day full of rich culture, traditions, and beautiful sunsets.
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| David's native dance group from Washington |
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| Telling the origin story of the mosquito. David made the mask and got to scare the living wits out of people, especially little kiddos. |
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| Dancing for the wolf clan |
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| Dance team from Anchorage |
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| A portrait of David's grandmother, painted by a famous and very talented artist in Washington. They were presenting the portrait to the Mayor of Metlakatla to be hung up in our Museum. |
Katie and I helped serve dinner to everyone that attended the potlatch, which was around 600 people. After dinner, I noticed the beautiful colors of the sky shining through the windows of the town hall. I ran down to the beach and this is what I saw...
It was such a wonderful day and I felt very blessed and lucky to be a part of it. Around 1 a.m. the potlatch was coming to an end and they passed out gifts to everyone as a thank you for coming and being a part of the celebration. Not many can say they have attended and participated in a potlatch, and am told by my kiddos in my class that I am part of the butterfly clan :)
If you are interested, here is a link to hear David Boxley explain more about the history behind the potlatch and the Tsimshian culture, from a true expert.
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