Nunivak Island Dancing Stick

During the ancient times of our people. They gathered as a community, inviting other villages to a food and dancing gathering, called “Kevvrirluteng”, (A Festival and gathering of a people from villages abroad, to preform of giving and dancing). Two messengers would be ordered to go to other villages to invite people from other villages to come to the great festival. Gifts of invitation would be given to the village leaders. A place to gather would be a gathering house called a “Qasgiq”, an eskimo sod house made for festivals, a place for men to work together, especially for dancing and preforming community gatherings.Before the dances begin, The Dancing Stick (Keniraraun), Cup’ig name for dancing stick) people would be invited to eat the foods, as a people respected in acknowledgment to the invitation. The invitation would be acknowledged by showing tremendous respect to neighboring villages of their hospitality and a giving spirit. Showing an abundance of their skill, foods. Wooden b