The Northern Light

Fishing and hunting seasons are over, the freezers are packed and the first snow has fallen. The hectic buzz of summer and fall have passed, and with the slowdown comes the traditional Alaska Native potlatch season.

Potlatches, a tradition in Athabascan and Tlingit cultures, are traditionally four-day ceremonies honoring deceased village members through song, entertainment, feasting and gifting. They are held in late fall to early winter for two main reasons; one is the end of the hunting and gathering season when there is more free time, and the other is that at this time there is enough food to share. "Potlatches are mostly a celebration," said Danielle Larsen, an event planner at Cook Inlet Region, Inc. "But potlatches I have been to, or have been in, were potlatches for people who had passed away or in celebrating the lives of those who passed away."Potlatches are also held, on a smaller scale, to celebrate other milestones as well. Aaron Leggett, a Dena'ina history specialist at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, said potlatches are also held sometimes as coming-of-age rites, such as after a young man kills his first animal or a young woman picks berries for the first time with her grandmother. Collecting the items needed for a potlatch after a death can be part of the healing process, Leggett said. "You're working even harder (than normal) to obtain the items that will be distributed," he said.The distribution includes both food and gifts. The host provides a feast for his or her guests, including traditional Native foods like moose, salmon, berries and porcupine. The host also gives gifts to each guest on the last day of the ceremony."You work your way from the top down," Leggett said. The chief might get the most extravagant gifts, and gift levels reduce as the host goes further down the social hierarchy of the village. Potlatches can include various forms of entertainment, from fiddlers to dancers to gambling. The traditional idea, for both Athabascans and Tlingits, was to honor your kin by providing the best potlatch you could afford. A memorable one could raise the social status of the host, particularly in the Tlingit culture."The mood starts out pretty somber," Leggett said, "and as the days go on the mood raises and raises, and on the last day, when the gifts are given, it sort of completes the mourning. It's like in American society when somebody puts on a lavish wedding, you see people get into competitions. The difference is, everyone who attends (potlatches) gets a gift."The U.S. and Canadian governments historically have not looked favorably upon the generosity involved with potlatches. While Natives knew that what they gave would be reciprocated back from their guests, outsiders to the culture thought otherwise."To the outsiders it looked like they had nothing and they were giving away what little they had," Leggett said. "That's the thing about the potlatches €" it's a redistribution of wealth, how much can you give away. The more you could give away, the more you're showing respect to the deceased."In the late 19th century, both the Canadian and U.S. governments banned potlatches. They were legalized again in the U.S. in 1934 and in Canada in 1951."It was a combination of factors," Leggett said about the bans. "One being the government felt threatened by any large Native gathering, but also it had to do with the fact that they couldn't understand what they viewed as being wasteful."In the 1970s, Native potlatches were threatened again when an Athabascan from the Interior, Carlos Frank, took a cow moose out of season for a potlatch. The Department of Fish and Game was notified, and he lost his first trial, even though the judge recognized that the potlatch was an integral part of Athabascan religious beliefs. Frank appealed to the Alaska Supreme Court and won a reversal, giving Alaska Natives the right to take an animal out of season for potlatches. Leggett said people often work with Fish and Game to find places to take an animal where it will have the least impact on conservation numbers. Today, potlatches are still held by private individuals, although Leggett said people often pool their resources and host ceremonies honoring multiple people. Native corporations host potlatches as well.CIRI hosts an annual potlatch in three locations for its shareholders. The shareholders are a diverse group of Alaska Natives coming from all over the state, but they hold a potlatch since Southcentral Alaska is an Athabascan area. CIRI's potlatch is not a traditional potlatch in structure, but the corporation does offer many of the underlying themes like honoring the recently deceased.

Jim Jager, a CIRI spokesman, said CIRI's potlatch is "a good time for everybody to renew friendships and see people they haven't seen in a while. It's a celebration and memorial for those who have passed away."

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