Anatole Bogeyaktuk and Charlie Steve were members of the last
generation of Yup'ik men to be raised in the qasgi (communal men's
house) and witness first-hand the dances and gift-giving that were
so much a part of traditional life along the Bering Sea coast.
These two Stebbins elders describe the complex rituals of the
dance festival in remarkable detail. Their memories were recorded
in their native Yup'ik language, then transcribed and translated
into English by Sophie Shield and Marie Meade and edited by Ann
Fienup-Riordan. The result is a rich description of the drumming,
dancing, gift-giving, and feasting that marked the winter
ceremonial season. The text is presented in Yup'ik with facing-page
English translations and is beautifully illustrated by James Barker
and Suzi Jones, who photographed events in Stebbins in 1984.
The celebrations these Yup'ik elders narrate include the Bladder
Festival, the Great Feast for the Dead, and the Messenger Festival.
This complex series of rituals involves humans and animals, the
living and the dead. Competitive gift-giving, feasting and feats of
strength are all a part of the spiritual lives of Yup'ik
communities of western Alaska--part of the living tradition of
Taprarmiuni Kassiyulriit: Stebbins Dance Festival.
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