Potlatch Day 2

Scroll down to read about Day 1.




Night 2 of the potlatch was even better than the first. There were 4 dance groups tonight. That always makes it more exciting.

This little girl is my cousin's daughter. She's visiting from Kake, AK. She's singing and drumming and her little cousin is dancing to show her support for her.












I was so amazed by this little sweetie. I'm not related, I don't even know her name, but I just couldn't stop watching her. All I know about her is that she hasn't started elementary school yet. If she had, I'd know her. She knew all the movements and even sang along with the songs. She showed no fear. I remember dancing when I was that little. But I don't think I was as brave as she was.










My niece dedicated her regalia tonight. When you receive or make a new piece of regalia, the custom is that you publically dedicate it at a potlatch before you wear it in public for any reason. My nephew (in the baseball cap) designed the Eagle and my sisters-in-law did the sewing. At one point during the sewing of the buttons, they tried to lift it up to reposition it and discovered they had sewn it to the tablecloth!







We have a tradition here that says when you attend a potlatch and lose an item, you have to dance for it in order to get it back. This boy lost his drum. He earned it back by doing a solo dance. This is why I don't take anything with me except my camera....and that never leaves my sight.








One of the dance groups was made up entirely of children. From Kindergarten through high school. They seemed like they were having a lot of fun. I know we all enjoyed watching them.