Cultural Heritage Days Again.

 Since I work in a small village in Alaska, the school has two celebrations a year where students learn more about the culture.  The first is in August when they go out to berry pick, fish, etc

In the spring, usually in March, they have three days where they learn more about their culture by listening to elders about the old ways.  Local groups such as the tribal council visit to share with high school students the options available for them while the elementary does age appropriate activities.


The picture above was taken just after the opening ceremonies for the Cultural Heritage celebration.  The whole school meets in the gym and the man in charge of it all welcomes people, introduces visitors and such before having everyone line up from pre-kindergarten to high school.  One of the local deacons says a prayer before everyone in the gym is smudged with the smoke from a local plant.

Then students go off.  The high school spends the mornings listening and learning to elders and groups so they know more about their culture, their heritage, and what the village offers.  In the afternoon, the high school breaks up into different hands on activities such as beading, making fish hooks, making traps, sewing Kuspuks or crocheting.  At the end of the week, they have something to take home.

For two nights, the children beginning in grade 3 perform dances for their families. The first night is strictly for the students and their teachers to dance while the family comes up to join the children on the second night. The above picture is of 6th graders dancing.  The young lady in the blue hoody is my "granddaughter" in the local tradition.

Her mother decided I looked like her mother so she gave me her mother's native name so I'm called grandmother even though I am younger than the mother.  It's all part of the culture there. 

The last day is the day when a couple of the women take some girls to the home economics room to make tons of fry bread and agutuq or eskimo ice cream made up of crisco, mashed potatoes, milk or water, sugar that is whipped together to form a light fully mass and then fruit is stirred in.  It is so good and everyone loves it. 

I'll try to get pictures of it for the weekend.  Have a great day and let me know what you think.