Hi, my name is Brian Frisina, DCYF ESIT Tribal Program Consultant. Each week, I will provide a key term to help support us all in getting to know our Tribal Nations partners better.
This week’s term is: potlach
The English translation of potlach means "to give"
Many people believe that a rich and powerful person is someone who has a lot. The people who speak Kwak´wala, the Kwakwaka'wakw, believe that a rich and powerful person is someone who gives the most away. Since a time beyond memory, the Kwakwaka'wakw have been hosting potlatches and potlatching continues to play a central and unifying role in community life today.
The word "potlatch" means "to give" and comes from a trade jargon, Chinook, formerly used along the Pacific coast of Canada. Guests witnessing the event are given gifts. The more gifts given, the higher the status achieved by the potlatch host. The potlatch ceremony marks important occasions in the lives of the Kwakwaka'wakw: the naming of children, marriage, transferring rights and privileges and mourning the dead.
It is a time for pride - a time for showing the masks and dances owned by the Chief or host giving the potlatch. It is a time for joy. “When one's heart is glad, he gives away gifts. Our Creator gave it to us, to be our way of doing things, to be our way of rejoicing, we who are [Kwakwaka'wakw]. Everyone on earth is given something. The potlatch was given to us to be our way of expressing joy." — Elder Agnes Axu Alfred
Long ago potlatches stretched out over the winter months, lasting for weeks. They were held in a ceremonial Bighouse, the size of which indicated the hosts’ status in the village. Chiefs with the largest bighouses would invite hundreds of guests from many First Nations. Guests would travel to a potlatch by canoe and upon arrival announce themselves and their village by shouting to the host onshore. Giant welcome figures, carved out of cedar, often stood at the water’s edge as hosts sang welcome songs. Sometimes there were so many guests that no room was left on the beach for all the canoes.
POTLATCH MEANS "TO GIVE", Living Tradition: The Kwakwaka'wakw the Potlatch on the West Coast, © U'MISTA CULTURAL SOCIETY 2020, U'mista Cultural Society.
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ESIT is proud to announce we have selected seven individuals for the Parent Institute of Engagement (PIE): Round 3. These members represent different counties across Washington State including: Whatcom, Snohomish, Spokane, Grant, Kitsap and King. Their first PIE meeting was Tuesday, September 1. We will spotlight each PIE member in future editions of the ESIT Weekly.
Questions? Please contact ESIT Family Engagement Coordinator, Vanessa Allen, at vanessa.allen@dcyf.wa.gov.
Dear ESIT Data Management System Administrators,
Join Kim Hopkins, ESIT Interim Data Manager, and Sue Rose, ESIT Stakeholder Engagement Manager, for this informative webinar as we take a tour through the T-DMS.
During this webinar, we will:
- Review new reports and how to run them
- Gather feedback on what is going well in the system and what needs to be addressed
- Answer questions
Thursday, September 24 | 9 - 10:30 a.m.
Questions? Email Kim Hopkins, ESIT Interim Data Manager, at kim.hopkins@dcyf.wa.gov.
Suggested Books
- Anti-Indianism in Modern America: A Voice from Tatekeya's Earth by Elizabeth Cook-Lynn
ISBN-10: 0252074270
- Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples by Linda Tuhiwai Smith
ISBN-10: 1848139500
- Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery By Steven Newcomb
ISBN-10: 1555916422
- Savage Anxieties: The Invention of Western Civilization. By Robert A. Williams Jr.
ISBN-10: 0230338763
- The Science of the Sacred: Bridging Global Indigenous Medicine Systems and Modern Scientific Principles by Nicole Redvers N.D
ISBN-10: 1623173361
Suggested Videos to Watch
Let’s Work Together: Building Relationships with Families to Support Positive Behavior
Sept. 29 | 8 - 9:30 a.m.
Click Here for Full Details
Building a positive relationship with a child’s family that affirms their culture and identity is an important part of an early childhood practitioner’s job. This webinar addresses ways practitioners can connect with and include families of young children with disabilities in identifying and implementing strategies to support positive behavior at school, child care and home. Presenters share tips for navigating difficult conversations with families regarding challenging behavior.
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