Duration: 1 hour 34 minutes
Haida Language for Friday August 23, 2019
at Strathcona Community Center
with Woody Morrison, BA, JD
video by Vanessa Walterson
xaad kil captions by Todd G̱íihgiigaa
Funded by a grant from First People's Cultural Council: BC Language Initiative in collaboration with the Strathcona Community Center Association and the Vancouver Haida Elder Collective
Funded by a grant from First People's Cultural Council: BC Language Initiative in collaboration with the Strathcona Community Center Association and the Vancouver Haida Elder Collective.
There are so man things the Old Ones talked about.... imparted to me and I want to pass it on but, the difficulty lies in knowing where to begin. Here is a little bit that was given to me as a small boy.
THE CEREMONY
by Ḵáawan Sangáa
It was then that the Eldest spoke,
Ḵ’áwda G̱ángáas, Díi gyúudiyaa uu daláng weiyit aa hl kil guláasii. Daláng gudangáay an uuhl súugang.
"Listen to me dear boy, I want to tell you good words. I am saying it so you can remember it always...
At the time we were brought into the light, Nang Kilstláas gave each thing its own Ceremony. That is how we see them. So long as they hold to their own Ceremony they remain the Thing Sangs SG̱áanuwaay made them. There are many humans who no longer keep the Ceremony given.
They have discarded their Ceremony and now wander and smash things; like the wind gone crazy. They think they made themselves and try to make a new Ceremony, but only make destruction for themselves and their relatives...
Watch them carefully and learn... the things they do as with all other events, will come this way again."
The Old One paused to let the Atmosphere quieten down then, is the same quiet measured tones he continued.
“…Each of us here are called “Awáahl gin g̱iidiinii iik hal k’iyiit giigiinii.” (He always remembers what happened way over there. Or Tide Watchers). To us was entrusted the knowledge given by Nang Kilstlaas at the time we Came-Into-Being; that is what makes us X̱aat'áay, we have our own Ceremony...
Once we were all Tide Watchers... then just a few... now...? We can only pass to you that which was passed to us by our Grandfathers. As your Chanáa said, others will reveal themselves to you, but, beware of the hollow-Ones...
...Strange ones came among us at a time when it seemed as though this place would no longer have Watchmen to look out for those things which were here before we came-into-Being. We listened to their words. They sounded good. But, like the Cedar that grows tall and straight-grained, they are the ones who, when sounded, are hollow in the center.
Some of our own people are like that; we call them the ‘Hollow-Ones’.
From those, like the Cedar that is hollow in the center, we take what we can use and leave the rest to go back into the ground. This is what Nang Kilstlaas (Raven) taught us. Never take what you cannot use. If you take something you think you can use, do not throw it away in an incorrect manner. This we will teach you.
Those persons with the good words, who are hollow in the middle, take from them that which you can use and leave the rest to decompose as it should. They are hard to see, but if each day you look to see what is supposed to be there, you will soon learn to see what is not supposed to be there. ...everything begins with the knowledge that we are not in control. So, always, especially when things are goin' good, ask for help."
The old man, face impassive, stopped speaking and we listened to the quiet. Ḵ’áwda G̱ángáas glanced at the window and saw the snowflakes continued to fall... he realized that he could hear them falling. The Elder looked at the wood burning stove and, "Díi uúudangíi sgwáansang, Hakw" -- my mind is one let’s go. (we go to meet your relatives.)
Ts'áanuwaay (the Fire) spoke again then, like the drawing of curtains, the world outside the circle faded and disappeared. There was light without light; warmth without heat. Ḵ’áwda G̱ángáas, although but yet a child, sensed that somehow his thoughts had become linked with those of the Elders. He felt as though he was wrapped in a warm blanket without folds to restrict.
I just got home from our Haida Class: preparations for the Áalaay
X̱it Xyaahl (Dancing Under the Paddle) Ceremony. When discussing the
upcoming Ceremony a part of the discussion was about the role of the
male. Simply put, "A man faces everything himself, with no thought of
being 'rescued'.
The moment he thinks... hopes to be rescued, he loses.
He gave up.
On the other hand, a man also knows when to ask for assistance; he doesn't ask for someone to take the responsibility off his hands. He asks for ASSISTANCE.
In another of of David Gemmell's books - "Dark Moon", humans are
threatened by a race of Beings that seem to be totally unbeatable. A
man, fearing for his life describes himself as, "I am not blessed with
physical bravery" he said, "I have always been frightened of pain -
suffering of any kind..." He then asks a woman Warrior, "Are you
frightened, Karis?"
"Of course. We are riding into the unknown..."
"I have always wondered what constitutes heroism." He then asks Karis if ".. heroism comes naturally to some people."
She shook her head, "Heroes are people who face down their fears. It is
that simple. A child afraid of the dark who one day blows out the
candle; a woman terrified of the pain of child birth who says, "It is
time to become a mother."
Heroism doesn't always live on the Battlefield, Pooris."
In X̱aad Kil (Haida language) it is called "Guudangáay Tlats'gaa" =
Keep your mind strong (never let fear get in front of yo, it will
overwhelm you.
The men who will be participating in Áalaay X̱it Xhaahl are that kind of men.
This Friday evening Woody outlines the Dancing Under the Paddle Ceremony
and some Conversational Haida phrases
New addition to Video. Edited to include some descriptive text.
Below are images of the handouts.
Tonight at our Haida Class we discussed the up-coming Dancing Under the Paddle Ceremony.
Here is some information about it.
Áalaay xit Xyaahl. (Dancing Under The Paddle)
Dancing Under The Paddle is a Ceremony of Celebration; celebrating the
Beginning of a Relationship between First Woman and First Man. A
relationship that has endured, and enabled us, the Human Species to
Survive and Thrive for untold hundreds of thousands of years.
Colonization has massive damage to that relationship; we now take back
relationship and our Power.
Explanation My Haida
Grandfather, Ḵun kwiiaang (Paul Morrison) was the keeper of a Ceremony
called “Dancing Under The Paddle”. He performed it in 1940 when it was
against the law, so it was done in secret. I was born in 1941 and, in
1944 he took me to the History Keepers and, at age 3 my training began.
I was forbidden to talk about my training to anyone but the members of
that Society.
Ḵun kwiiaang Went Home in 1945. Even now, I
am very reluctant to say anything about it because, I know how it felt
to keep things secret because of fear of Government; and, I feel some of
that same Wariness about doing it now.
What you will witness
is a bit different. This is not Haida country so we modified the
Ceremony to ensure the Spirits of this Land will perceive what we do,
favorably. So you will see parts that are of the Salish Peoples, some
is Nishgaa’ but the rest is Haida. When we do this ceremony with all
Haidas it will be as when my grandfather performed it.
In 1982,
after having graduated from Law School I returned home to Hydaburg,
Alaska. My Uncle, Ḵáawan Sangáa (Louis Kitkoon) sent for me and gave me
his name, Ḵáawan Sangáa, and, at that time the Ceremony was passed to
me. I asked, "When am I supposed to do this." He answered, "You will
know."
In October 2014 an image appeared in front of me: a
miniature pool of water and a small object was dropped into the center
of the pool. When I saw the waves radiating out, I heard the words, "It
is time." It scared me so I didn’t tell anyone then, I realized I had a
responsibility to carry this out.
Ceremony Background
It is said that when, That Which Exists Nowhere, Exists in Nothing and
Brought all things into Being, caused the First Human to come into
Being. That Being was molded from Earth and Tears Sadness and Tears of
Gladness. It was Perfect, it was Female. The Breath of Life was put
into its mouth in puffs of air with a "spitting sound" - Ts’uswii.
When that Female Being breathed its first Breath, it was in
harmony with the Universe. But there was a problem: nothing is ever
made with only one side. So this new Female Being was separated into
two parts: the second became Male. That is why the children belong to
the Mother’s Lineage. When a woman gives birth to a child,
its first cry is a signal that this new Human Being is in Harmony with
the Universe. Jaat’áay Ts’uswíi - The Woman’s Gift or Magic of Harmony.
All of us, male and female have been taught that Woman is the
cause of Original Sin. For thousands of years now, women have been
vilified, tortured, mutilated and murdered because of those teachings.
Our own Cultures say, “No, that is not how it is! Woman was given
this Gift of Harmony and, she must take back her legacy. She is Human
and will accept nothing short of being treated as Human”. We
are not Mankind, we are Humankind. The first requirement for being
Human is to be born of a Woman. Thus we are not Mankind, we are
Humankind. We have to get rid of the concept of "Race" for it implies a
contest to be #1. We are all Humankind. To be Humankind, one must be a
Kind Human.
Our Hosts will close the Ceremony with their Protocols. Balance vs Unbalance - Good Sounding Words.
