The Potlatch
Potlatch means "to give" in Chinook. A potlatch is a celebration that lasts for several days, with feasts, speeches, songs, dances, and gifts for guests including copper, blankets, canoes, food, and household goods. Ceremonial regalia used in dances and songs include whistles, rattles, and carved cedar masks and headdresses depicting animals that appear in the legends of the people, such as ravens, eagles, bears, wolves, and supernatural creatures. |
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The Potlatch is a piece from Alert Bay. A friend of mine and I went to Alert Bay just by chance and there happened to be a Potlatch there where we were welcomed. It was a beautiful ceremony, which was amazing.
This piece shows an old canoe that was actually sitting outside one of the old buildings just off the beach in Alert Bay. This canoe was pulled up on shore, and if you look in the background, you will see some elders and other people sitting around a fire with more canoes pulled in. One canoe with people in it is pulling in and a lady greets them on the beach. In the very background of the piece, you will see the old plank house, depicting a historical detail.
There are many different cultures around Alert Bay that would celebrate Potlatch together. In the front there is a father holding his son, representing the future. In the background is the past, and the child is looking back to learn about the past and will take that knowledge into the future.
About the Original
Medium: Acrylic on watercolor paper/ Image Size: 22" x 30" / Created: 2003
Original Available: Soon.
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