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Potlatch: Native Ceremony and Myth on the Northwest Coast
Contributor(s): Beck, Mary Giraudo (Author)
ISBN: 0882409646     ISBN-13: 9780882409641
Publisher: Alaska Northwest Books
OUR PRICE:   $24.29  
Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats
Published: June 2013
Qty:
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies
- Social Science | Customs & Traditions
- Social Science | Folklore & Mythology
Dewey: 394.208
LCCN: 92047012
Physical Information: 0.38" H x 6" W x 9" (0.76 lbs) 128 pages
Themes:
- Ethnic Orientation - Native American
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:

Among the Northwest Coast Indians (Tlingit, Haida, and others), potlatches traditionally are lavish community gatherings marking important events, such as funerals or marriages. In celebrations that often last many days, sumptuous meals are served; legends about clans and ancestors are sung and enacted with dances, masks, costumes, and drums; totem poles are often raised; and gifts are presented to all guests. Through this custom, cultural ties are renewed and strengthened.
Using details from historical potlatches, and skillfully weaving in legends about animals and spirits revered by Natives--Raven, Grizzly Bear, Salmon, Frog--Mary Beck creates a compelling account of the potlatch ceremony and its place in a community's celebration of life, death, and continuity.

Contributor Bio(s): Beck, Mary Giraudo: - Mary Giraudo Beck has lived Ketchikan, Alaska, since 1951, when she married a third-generation Alaskan. Besides rearing a family, she taught literature and writing courses for thirty years at Ketchikan Community College, a branch of the University of Alaska. Mary has an abiding interest in the Native culture of Southeast Alaska and a commitment to recording its oral literature. Previous works include two books, Heroes and Heroines in Tlingit-Haida Legend and Shamans and Kushtakas: North Coast Tales of the Supernatural, essays on Native mythology, and articles on travel by small boat to towns and Native communities in Southeast Alaska.