Arts & Culture

He says that after he moved to Seattle, he started creating his own designs to cure his homesickness for Alaska.

The Dakhká Khwáan dance group led that procession into the hall — and back out on Saturday. The group’s name means “people of the inland,” and many of them came all the way from Canada for this year’s festival.

This year, nearly 30 toddlers participated, all between the ages of around two and five.

The name of the piece — Dancing in the Summer Rain — comes from the way those new design elements come together musically. 

The procession marks the kick-off of the four-day Celebration festival in Juneau — a biennial gathering that honors and uplifts the culture of Lingít, Haida and Tsimshian people.

After meeting with leaders of the region’s Indigenous communities, the owner also agreed not to use the name “potlatch” for his marketplace.

The paddlers came from across Southeast and parts of Canada, journeying for days to arrive for the festival.

For the son of the man who carved the pole 57 years ago, the accident was a reminder of what the piece means to him — and to his father’s legacy. 

This year’s event promises almost 1,600 dancers from 36 dance groups, including the lead dance group Dakhká Khwáan Dancers from Whitehorse, Canada.

Every Wednesday night, the Alaskan Hotel & Bar in downtown Juneau swarms with karaoke hopefuls. The man who hands them the mic is Seth Williams