Pistes d'exploration

Using teacher-selected online resources, research potlatches. Make connections between a potlatch and one of your own traditional celebrations. Discuss the purpose and importance of celebrations that are passed from one generation to the next.

Why do you think potlatches were banned? Why would the families take such risks in order to continue to hold them? What if there were a law that banned one of your important cultural celebrations (e.g. Thanksgiving, birthdays)?

Discuss the use of colour and black and white in the illustrations. Make inferences about the significance of the illustrator’s choices.

Do a picture walk. Discuss the illustrations and make predictions about the story. Readjust your predictions as you read.

Discuss the strategies you use to determine the meaning of the Kwa’kwa’la words. Compare your ideas with the glossary definitions.

Using teacher-selected online resources, research potlatches. Make connections between a potlatch and one of your own traditional celebrations. Discuss the purpose and importance of celebrations that are passed from one generation to the next.

Why do you think potlatches were banned? Why would the families take such risks in order to continue to hold them? What if there were a law that banned one of your important cultural celebrations (e.g. Thanksgiving, birthdays)?

Brainstorm traditions that you uphold in your family. Share your ideas with a partner. Discuss the purpose and importance of celebrations that are passed down from generation to generation.

As a class activity, create a family tree of the main characters.

Perform a scene from the book in Reader’s Theatre format.

Encounter

Mots-clés

Picture book , Canadian history , ceremonies , dance , First Nations history , human rights , oppression , traditions

Commentaire descriptif

Told in the voice of nine-year-old Watl’kina, later known as Judge Alfred Scow (the author), this is a fictionalized account of the Canadian government’s ban on the ritual ceremonies of the Aboriginal people from 1885 to 1951. The story tells of an incident in young Alfred’s life, when he snuck out at night to watch masked dancers at a secret Potlatch. It ends by showing how today, in full ceremonial regalia, he openly celebrates his culture with family, friends, government officials and foreign dignitaries. The story incorporates some of the traditional language of Alfred’s people (defined in a glossary at the back). Imagery-based text helps readers visualize the dramatic potlatch: “Fire was the only light. It glinted on the button blankets and masks as the dancers circled, weaving in and out of the smoke.” Acrylic artwork combines realism with Native motifs to bring history to life in this compelling read-aloud. A historical note provides additional context, including details of how Alfred’s Nation defied the government and held secret rituals at the risk of severe penalty. Younger readers will enjoy the adventure story, while older readers can appreciate the irony of a judge having an “illegal” secret in his past.