Save the Date for the 2001 CIRI Potlatches
The annual CIRI potlatches are scheduled for this fall in Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and the Pacific Northwest. The Northwest Potlatch is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 15 at Chief Leschi School in Puyallup, Wash.; the Anchorage Friendship Potlatch is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 6 at Romig Middle School in Anchorage; and the Kenai Peninsula Potlatch is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3. Check the September CIRI Shareholder Update for more information.
Seeking Artists for Friendship Potlatch
In preparation for the Anchorage Friendship Potlatch, CIRI is seeking Alaska Native artists who are interested in selling their arts and crafts at the Anchorage Friendship Potlatch. A limited number of tables are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis. Contact Connie Irrigoo by mail at CIRI, PO Box 93330, Anchorage, AK 99509, phone (907) 263-6507, fax (907) 263-5183, or e-mail cirrigoo@ciri.com to reserve a table.
Shareholder Authors "How Raven Stole the Sun"
Maria Williams remembered her father, Bill Williams, speaking of the traditional Tlingit story about how raven tossed the moon, stars and sun into the night sky and brought light to the Tlingit people. Inspired by this story, Williams, a CIRI shareholder of Tlingit heritage, has written a book for children based on this traditional Tlingit myth. "How Raven Stole the Sun" was published in partnership with the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI).Williams earned a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from the University of California, Los Angeles; she is an assistant research professor with the department of music at the University of New Mexico and is associate director for the Arts of the Americas Institute.
"Throughout my academic career, I've researched and generally written more scholarly writing. For a long time now, I've wanted to write something more creative like a story for children. This particular story is so lovely and yet powerful, and I really enjoyed the collaborative process of putting it all together," Williams said.
Shareholder Maria Williams authored "How Raven Stole the Sun."
Collaborating with Williams was Felix Vigil, a Jicarilla Apache/Jemez Pueblo Indian and well-known visual artist who resides in New Mexico. Vigil, who holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in painting from the prestigious Maryland Institute College of Art, has paintings exhibited in galleries throughout the United States.
After moving to New Mexico, Williams learned of Vigil's talent as a painter. She told him about the raven story and he became intrigued with the myth's rich meaning and agreed to illustrate her book. The traditional trickster figure in Vigil's culture is coyote. He studied Northwest coastal art and as part of his research made several visits to Alaska. He made sketches and ultimately turned his drawings into paintings, which were then used to illustrate certain elements of the story.
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