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Among the Northwest Coast Indians (Tlingit, Haida, and others), potlatches traditionally are lavish community gatherings marking important events, such as funerals or marriages. In celebrations that often last many days, sumptuous meals are served; legends about clans and ancestors are sung and enacted with dances, masks, costumes, and drums; totem poles are often raised; and gifts are presented to all guests. Through this custom, cultural ties are renewed and strengthened.
Using details from historical potlatches, and skillfully weaving in legends about animals and spirits revered by Natives-Raven, Grizzly Bear, Salmon, Frog-Mary Beck creates a compelling account of the potlatch ceremony and its place in a community's celebration of life, death, and continuity.
List of contents
Acknowledgments 4INTRODUCTION 5Raven Survives 12CREMATION AND SMOKING FEAST 13Raven Creates the Tides 22PREPARATIONS 23Raven and the Flood 34THE INVITATION 35Raven s Creations 44HOUSE BUILDING 45In the Whales Belly 54WELCOME 55Raven Sends Fish to the Streams 62THE POTLATCH 63Raven in a Fog 76GIFTS AND PARTIES 77Raven Loses His Beak 96PRESTIGE POTLATCH 97Raven and the Magic Seal Catcher 108PEACE CEREMONY 109Further Reading 126
About the author
Mary Giraudo Beck has lived Ketchikan, Alaska, since 1951, when she married a third-generation Alaskan. Besides rearing a family, she taught literature and writing courses for thirty years at Ketchikan Community College, a branch of the University of Alaska. Mary has an abiding interest in the Native culture of Southeast Alaska and a commitment to recording its oral literature. Previous works include two books,
Heroes and Heroines in Tlingit-Haida Legend and
Shamans and Kushtakas: North Coast Tales of the Supernatural, essays on Native mythology, and articles on travel by small boat to towns and Native communities in Southeast Alaska.
