Jackie Kookesh wraps red willow shaping her first fish trap
There are a variety of activities held during Teslin’s Kus Te Yea Celebration; these include the sharing of songs and dance through the various dance groups from Whitehorse, Carcross, Atlin, Teslin and other towns about Southeast Alaska (i.e. Yakutat!), a hearty breakfast and nightly feast for each of three days open to all who attend, an artist market, a food market, a tent just for stick-gambling, artist demos and classes, but also the hands-on making of the practical things like fish traps, fish-fileting, smoking moose hide, cedar hat making, Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving, and of course, frying bannock!
Glued “sinew” hold the ends of the fish trap
I’ve just included a few photos to show you what you missed. Teslin’s Celebration is held during the third weekend in June on the “off” year from Juneau’s Celebration. There’s no excuse for not attending. Mark your calendars now for June 2015. This is not a commercial venue, you need not pay to attend, although you can spend as much money as you want at the Cultural Center’s gift shop and at the artist market!
Nearly completed fish trap
Margaret checks her time on smoking moose hide
Margaret uses cedar chips to start and fuel her fire…
Pine cones are burned to smoke the moosehide giving it a medium reddish-brown color – orange peels were burned to create a burnt orange color of the moose hide. For those who don’t know, moose hide is an off-white color before it is smoked.
Benjamin Scheifelman, carver and metalsmith from Teslin, demonstrates the creation of a copper T’naa pendant
One of Ben’s students hand-pounds texture into the copper
A few tools of copper-smithing
Carver silversmith Wayne Price from Haines, Alaska demonstrates the next step in carving cedar dance paddles
Wayne demonstrates “shaving” the paddle for young student
A fine sealskin roll-up satchel houses Wayne’s carving tools
- Nothing quite like the inland Tlingit bead workers in leather
Fresh, friend bannock for the evening’s community feast!