40 day celebration

In early September, Vic, a spunky legal advocate that works with Meg and Whitney at the SAFV shelter (Sitkan's Against Family Violence), invited us to the 40 day celebration for her brother-in-law, Andy Hope, a very special and important member of the Native community here in Sitka. His funeral was celebrated soon after his death, but the 40 day celebration is a Tlingit tradition, a time for family and friends to gather 40 days later, eat lots of wonderful food, and take time sharing stories celebrating his life.

The celebration was held in the Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) Hall, an organization started by Andy Hope's father, and started with everyone sitting at long tables waiting for the food. The Russian Orthodox church choir sang an opening, and a priest blessed our food. Now, we came hungry because Vic had said the food was going to be really good; the first course was a venison stew and fry bread, and silly me, I thought that was it, and was a little worried that I'd stay hungry. Those of you who know me well, (Mom, Dad) you know that this was a real concern for me. Ha! There was a full Thanksgiving style meal, this crazy Texas chili stuff that was delicious, cheesy halibut that was the tastiest thing I think I have every put in my mouth, three different delicious cakes... I can't remember all the rest but it was overwhelmingly delicious.

While we were eating, Vic's husband welcomed people up to speak about Andy's life, memories of him, and what was important to him. In Tlingit culture, balance is highly valued, and the social structure is balanced with two clans, raven and eagle. Vic explained to us that her husband was asking someone from the raven clan, then someone from eagle clan to speak, providing balance.

The talk that really struck me was given by a professor that had co-authored a book with Andy on Native Alaskan historical perspective of the battles between the Tlingits and the first Russian invaders. He spoke about how Andy's true passion was education, and what he fought for was "place-based education." Before he died, Andy had put in motion an initiative to provide a tribal college, where education rooted in learning about the place that you live. The place's people, history, and environment. I really resonated with that concept, as I feel like I am undergoing place-based education here in Sitka. There is so much to learn here, and I love it.

Stay tuned for more postings on Alaska Day, the commemoration of Alaska becoming a territory of the United States.