By: Petra Chase, Arts & Culture Editor
Potlatch, which comes from the Nootka word meaning “gift,” is a traditional Indigenous ceremony during which tribes give away or destroy possessions to promote generosity, wealth, and prestige. For the Kwakwaka’wakw people, singing, dancing, and drumming in the Big House are all important parts of the celebration.
Located at the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Keeping the Song Alive is a collaborative exhibition with Jewish Museum & Archives BC. It was ignited by 75-year-old Potlach recordings. Traditional artifacts from previous generations will be on display alongside contemporary artists who were inspired by the recordings. The exhibit, which premieres on November 2, also documents the crucial partnership between ethnomusicologist Dr. Ida Halpern and Kwakwaka’wakw Chiefs Billy Assu and Mungo Martin in preserving Potlatch traditions.
Jewish Museum & Archives BC approached Cheryl ‘Ka’kaso’las Wadhams to collaborate as the guest curator of the exhibit. As an Indigenous person from the Kwakwaka’wakw nation, Wadhams brings her lived experience to the team. Interviews in three Kwakwaka’wakw communities in Vancouver Island, including Wadhams’ home, were key in putting the exhibit together.
“We’ve been really digging in and pulling all of the important things that we got out of those interviews that we did with community members and pulling out just those connections that had where Ida was concerned and the work and the recordings and how it kind of has a ripple effect [ . . . ] to today.”
The team also visited the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, to access the recordings and artifacts from Halpern’s life, where they’re available to the public under the protection of UNESCO as part of Dr. Halpern’s many Indigenous culture preservation partnerships.
“As a Jewish immigrant fleeing the Holocaust, Dr. Ida Halpern understood the impact of cultural erasure,” Wadhams shared. “Assu and Martin trusted her as an ally to preserve and record songs fundamental to the Kwakwaka’wakw culture that would have been lost forever due to the Potlatch Ban. Decades later, they couldn’t have imagined how enduring and profound their collaboration would be.”
Wadhams spoke on the importance of this exhibit for Kwakwaka’wakw people. “Those recordings are still being looked at and listened to. And hopefully we’ll bring more exposure to that so they can continue.”
Wadhams also shared what she learned through their research; historically, Potlatches were a way to honor loved ones who passed away. The Chiefs and their families would plan their memorial Potlatches a year in advance, and invite people to attend by travelling village to village on a boat.
Indigenous cultural suppression at the hand of white colonizers has had a devastating impact on Indigenous communities, and so much of Indigenous culture has been lost. Keeping the Song Alive is truly a testament to the importance of cultural preservation for future generations and the profound impact of partnerships between cultures. It’s also a celebration of the spiritual power of Kwakwaka’wakw traditional music, dance, and tradition. You can’t miss it!
Masks are recommended in the gallery. Find out more on their accessibility page.
Keeping the Song Alive will be open to the public Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m. until March 19, 2023. Attend their opening celebration on November 5 from 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Tickets are available on their website.
