![A very bright sunlight against a dark shadowy cedar forest.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-01.jpg)
♪♪♪
![A masked dancer from the shoulders up, his shoulders are covered with cedar bark cape as he looks towards the camera.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-02.jpg)
[Singing]
[Cheering]
![A bank of white clouds in the foreground, behind that a landscape of forested mountains](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-03.jpg)
NARRATOR: In the beginning, our people emerged from mystical and supernatural places.
![A large Kwakwaka’wakw canoe moves from right to left across the center over calm waters before a hilly forest shoreline.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-04.jpg)
My people, the Kwakwaka'wakw, had been guided by our ancestors.
![The front part of a brightly painted whale mask appears to dive in a downward diagonal from right to left.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-05.jpg)
Our stories of origin are based on our first ancestors. Ceremonial masks tell of our beginning and share our identity and where we come from.
[Drumming]
![A group of Kwakwaka’wakw men are standing or seated in front of a large stack of flour sacks and boxes that have been gathered to present at a potlatch.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-06.jpg)
NARRATOR: When one's heart is glad, he gives away gifts. It was given to us by our creator, our way of doing things, of who we are.
![Kwakwaka’wakw women in traditional dress sit on the ground next to food containers used in preparing food for a potlatch](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-07.jpg)
The Potlatch was given to us as a way of expressing joy. Everyone on Earth is given something. This was given to us.
[Drumming]
NARRATOR: We acknowledge every aspect of our lives through ritual and ceremony.
![Chief Cranmer wears a ceremonial frontlet, cedar bark ring and a Chilkat blanket amidst a group of potlatchers all in regalia.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-08.jpg)
We have a continuous connection to everything. We express our connections in many different ways, giving thanks, feasting and gift giving.
[Chanting]
[Speaking in Kwak´wala]
![A group of Kwakwaka’wakw taking part in a mourning ceremony during a Potlatch, front row of elders in button blankets.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-09.jpg)
[Drumming and singing]
NARRATOR: Today, most Potlatches are held as memorials for loved ones. Mourning songs are sung to shake off the sadness, wipe away tears, and set the spirit free.
![Two birds are flying against a large white cloud in the sky.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-10.jpg)
[Chirping]
![Front of the Big House in Alert Bay showing a brightly painted wall.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-11.jpg)
[Chanting]
NARRATOR: When you enter the Big House, everything changes.
![The back of a dancer wearing an embroidered tunic next to a fire pit in the big house.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-12.jpg)
In the winter months, we connect with our ancestral spirits and share in our Potlatch.A Chief and his family host the sacred ceremonies, passing on the dances, names and songs from their box of treasures. This ceremony is based on honour and respect.
Today we have two parts to the Potlatch. In the T´seka Ceremony, you enter the floor counterclockwise, which represents entering the spirit world.
![A close-up to the head of a dancer, his face is darkened with ash, cedar bark adorns his hair.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-13.jpg)
[Yelling]
[Singing]
[Yelling]
[Drumming]
[Singing]
[Drumming]
[Singing]
[Drumming]
[Snapping]
[Cawing]
[Chanting]
![Salmon swimming in the ocean about to be caught in a fisherman’s net.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-14.jpg)
NARRATOR: Feasting is an important part of the ceremonies. Guests are fed the rich resources of the sea, salmon, clams, crabs and halibut.
![A group of Kwakwaka’wakw adults standing among gifts gathered in preparation for a potlatch in Alert Bay.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-15.jpg)
The giving away of one's wealth was essential to our Potlatch.
![Potlach celebrants in regalia carry a large carved cedar container of eulachon oil into the big house.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-16.jpg)
Tli'nagila is a very important ceremony that has continued for many generations. The giving of eulachon oil we call tli'nagila is the highest honour a Chief can bestow on his guests.
[Drumming]
[Singing]
![A group of dancers perform in woven ceremonial regalia to the right of a fire pit in the big house.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-17.jpg)
NARRATOR: The second part of the Potlatch is the Tla'sala or Peace Dances.
[Chanting]
After each Peace Dance, a gift comes in the front door.
[Chanting]
[Drumming]
[Chanting]
![A group of people move in circles around the dirt floor at the center of the big house, they are surrounded by a large audience.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-18.jpg)
[Cheering]
[Drumming]
NARRATOR: Today we continue to celebrate who we are.
![Image alt tag: A large Kwakwaka’wakw canoe is moving diagonally across the screen over calm waters against a forested and mountainous background.](objets-objects/videos/transcriptions-transcripts/img/potlatch_donner_2-potlatch_to_give_2-19.jpg)
There is strength in our culture. We are a living culture.
[Drumming]
[Chanting]
[Cheering]
[Drumming]