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Culture-> Tribal Customs: Greetings from the Great White North: Winter celebrations heat up chilly nights

Posted on Saturday, December 11 @ 02:53:00 PST

Greetings from the Great White North: Winter celebrations heat up chilly nights... KEYWORDS: cultural gathering Alaskan Native Heritage Center December 18 events storytelling dance games alaskan native crafts trapping language Kicaput Dancers Fireweed Dancers Yup'ik language Cup'ik people Alaska Native dance ANHC Cultural Education Program Haida language Dena'ina Athabascan language classes Eskimo Doll Ornaments Athabascan Beading recreated Indian village Alaskan Native history culture traditions

Natives from all over the country are invited to enjoy the snow-covered grounds of the Alaskan Native Heritage Center for programming that will highlight fun and educational activities that traditional and contemporary Alaska Natives experience. Winter Celebration is on December 18th from 10am to 5pm.

Stumble It!

Programs will feature storytelling, dance and games. These activities would traditionally be shared in a crowded community house during the long dark winter months and were used as a physical outlet and as a way to teach youth many important lessons. Outdoor activities will include snowshoeing, a snowman-building contest and winter basketball. Winter Celebration is one of the continuing series of Celebrating Culture Saturdays sponsored by BP, which presents a unique cultural program each week.

There will be special performances by the Kicaput Dancers and Fireweed Dancers. The Kicaput Dancers are an Anchorage based group formed in 1993.

The name Kicaput means "our anchor" in the Yup'ik language. The group performs traditional songs of the Yup'ik and Cup'ik people. The Fireweed Dancers were formed in May 2003 when a student shared a song with others and inspired them to join in. Currently 10 to 15 dancers are learning and performing songs from all over Alaska. As part of their growth, they create their own songs as well as making their own regalia, drums and dance fans.

Fireweed Dancers range in age from 14 to 17 years and represent all= regions of Alaska.

Peter Zaukar Sr. will be giving a special presentation on Native trapping. Zaukar's Native name is Akalria which means "rolls" or "to be rolled". His mother died when he was five years old and Peter and his siblings went to a BIA school when they were not trapping. The home they shared was a one- room log cabin 14 x 16 with a sod roof. Zaukar grew up in a life rich with tradition and culture where they following a subsistence lifestyle year round. At the age of 14 Peter started a trap line and trapped for mink, marten, otter, wolf, fox, beaver and muskrat. Zaukar will be sharing stories, trapping techniques and demonstrations of different traps. Native trappers are known to travel many miles with their dog teams during the winter checking their traps.

Matthew Nicolai will be sharing string stories. Nicolai was born in Bethel, and raised in the village of Kwethluk. He is a graduate of Chemawa Indian Boarding High School in Oregon and earned a B.A. in Economics from George Washington University. Nicolai joined the Calista Corporation in 1976 and over 29 years he has held various positions. In 1994, Nicolai accepted the appointment as President of the Calista Corporation, which at the time had 57 employees in one state. Today under his leadership, Calista Corporation has over 650 employees in 25 states and Guam. Nicolai serves as President of the Anchorage East Rotary Club, Director of the Alaska Federations of Natives, Director of the Russian Orthodox Sacred Sites and served as Chairman of the Alaska Salvation Army Board. Nicolai has served on the boards of Commonwealth North, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, Providence Foundation, Alaska Public Interest Research Group and the Alaska Democratic Party.

American Red Cross will be giving a presentation on safe winter travel, avalanche survival and national preparedness and response.

There will be classes in Alaska Native dance, language and art as part of an ongoing ANHC Cultural Education Program sponsored by the CIRI Foundation.

Art and language classes will be held each Saturday and will run for 4 to 6 weeks. Language classes for the month of November and December will be Haida with Lisa Lang and Tina Sanderson from 10am to 12pm, Dena'ina Athabascan with Donita Peter from 12pm to 2pm and Inupiaq with Lydia Scott from 2pm to 4pm. Art classes will be Eskimo Doll Ornaments with Eva Bryant from 11:00am to 1:30pm and Athabascan Beading with Lily Teske from 2pm to 4:30pm. Dance classes will be Southeast with William Jackson at 11:30am, 2pm and 4pm. Each dance class will last a half an hour. To register for art and language classes, call 330-8002, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. There is no registration necessary for the dance classes. All classes are free with the price of admission to ANHC.

Visitors can experience the five recreated village sites that illustrate the traditional structures in a typical village before or shortly after contact with non-Native cultures. Knowledgeable tour guides will share the history, culture and traditions at each site.

SOURCE:

This article first appeared in the Native Times.