Giveaway!

Irene Robinson and Ray Sim pose with their new book and matching celebration cake!

Today at work my co-worked Irene launched a project she has been working really hard on with the community, ƛiicuu (kleet-sue): "feeding the people". It's a two part book that focuses on the history of the Potlatch in Nuu-chah-nulth culture and she worked with the Elders Resource Committee, her fellow co-workers at Knee~waas (our Child and Family Team), and artist Ray Sim, to put this incredible set together.

She presented the books and talked about how with the onset of colonization the colonizers used the word "potlatch" to represent First Nations ceremonies and cultural feasts, which actually have many different names like the dominant language, "Baby Shower", "memorial", "Birthday Party", and "Prom". The books focus on the different kinds of ƛiicuu including ƛuukʷaana (clue-qwah-na) "initiation into the wolf society", c'iʔas (tsee-uss) "going to ask for the bride", and ʕimatʕinł (en-aht-inth) "Belly Button Party" with stunning imagery by Ray to represent the different types of events, ceremonies, and celebrations in Nuu-chah-nulth culture (traditionally and today). While the books aren't exhaustive records of ƛiicuu, they provide an opportunity to learn more about Nuu-chah-nulth communities and culture from the community itself.

To celebrate Irene's hard work, I bought a set of the books to give away here on HOME SWEET HOME. All you have to do is leave a comment with your name and way for me to get a hold of you below. The contest will close on Wednesday, March 7th at 4:30PM. I'll select a winner using the random number generator. Chuu!