Kivgiq 2011, part 2 - Day 1a: The celebration begins with a prayer and remembrance, the grand entry, and the posting of the colors
Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 3:39PM 
As always, Kivgiq began with an opening prayer and a bit later, a moment of silence in remembrance of those elders and others who have passed on since the last Kivgiq. In the foreground is Rachel Riley of Anaktuvuk Pass. Behind her, to the far right, is North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta standing alongside his wife, Elsie, and his sister, Dorcas.
All have gathered in the Barrow High School gymnasium.
Before I continue, I should note that I might need to rethink my original plan for posting Kivgiq. That plan was to post each full day to the day, one week later. Today, Wednesday, I planned to post last Wednesday, tomorrow, Thursday, I planned to post only Thursday and so on. I knew that I could only accomplish this if I made a very quick, somewhat superficial, edit and so I decided that was what I would do.
BUT... even doing that, I have barely managed to take a look at the daytime part of last Wednesday's take. I have not even glanced at the evening. And Wednesday was kind of like a warmup - the action would really take off Thursday, Friday and especially Saturday.
I have so many pictures to sort through that I don't know what to do.
To me, you see, every new beat of the drums also marks a new potential picture and while I do not let myself go quite that wild, at Kivgiq I see pictures every which way I turn my head and if I see a picture I am inclined to take it.
This is fun, but creates a bit of a nightmare for me later, for it takes me at least five times as long to edit a take such as Kivgiq as it does to shoot. Maybe it takes ten times as long.
The truth is, I have still not done a complete edit on my 2009 Kivgiq take or my 2007 Kivgiq take... and there are some other Kivgiq takes out there as well that remain only partially edited.
So the thought struck me that maybe I should spread each single day of Kivgiq over two days of posting - but that would make eight days of blogging Kivgiq.
I do not think this would be a problem for readers who are deeply into Kivgiq. Such readers will enjoy seeing as many Kivgiq pictures as I can post however long it takes. But, as insignificant as this blog is in the larger world of online publishing, it has none-the-less gained a readership that not only spans the nation but the globe and for my non-I upiat audience, eight days of Kivgiq posts might overdo it a bit.
So I have to wrestle with this one.
Also, I can put up a slide show reasonably quickly, but, thanks to the fact that the creators of Squarespace have a knack for making tasks that should be simple as complicated as possible, it is a time consuming, tedious task to take the same images that are already in the slideshow and repost them in this journal.
So my slideshows are going to contain many more images than the blog posts - of which I still hope to do three or four daily.
So those of you who really love Kivgiq - be certain to click on the slide show links. Depending on the size of your computer screen, not only will the pictures appear larger there, but there will be many images in the slide shows that will not show up in the regular post. For example, the slide show link here includes 18 Grand Entry images that are not in this post.
Then it was time for the Grand Entry. As their runner had won the foot race at the 2009 Kivgiq, the Tikigaq Traditional Dancers of Point Hope were the first to enter and led the way onto the dance floor. If it looks like there are many empty seats in the bleaches, it is only because these are the seats reserved for the dancers and drummers as they finish their entry and take their places.
Luke Koonook, Tikigaq's eldest dancer, follows the banner and leads the rest of Tikigaq into the Barrow High School gym.
Wainwright Dancers enter.
In what was probably the most emotional entry, Karmen and Martha-Lee Kagak, granddaughters of the late Warren Matumeak carried one of the pictures that I took of him dancing at a past Kivgiq with daughters Darlene and Mae Ahgeak as they led family and all members of the Suurimaanitchuat Dancers onto the floor. Warren was the Iñupiaq Elder of the Year 2010 and a good friend whose funeral I attended in early December.
After they took their place in the bleachers, Warren's daughter, Darlene Matumeak-Kagak was feeling the hurt of her father's absence, when she had this experience:
"As we were standing there, I felt something touching my hair very softly, I really felt it so I had to touch my hair to see if anyone was touching my head and there was no one! Right away I felt my Dad's presence being right next to me touching my head....that's when I started to cry very quietly....."
The Taġiuġmiut Dancers of Barrow. If I am ever to get through my Kivgiq postings, I must refrain from my inclination to tell stories with the pictures I post, but here is a story that I must tell.
See the drummer right in the middle? That is Charlie Ahkiviana. Back in the early days of the modern Kivgiq (and sometime before I finish posting this series I will take some time to briefly explain the history of Kivgiq, both from modern times and antiquity) Charlie was a little boy and he would often follow me as I moved here and there taking pictures.
He was very friendly and curious.
One time, when I sat down briefly, he took notice of both of my legs and saw that they were real. His eyes went wide.
"You grew your leg back?" he asked.
About the only thing that I could think of is that at some point there must have been a short, bearded, Taniq with an artifical leg wandering about Barrow who befriend Charlie and looked a lot like me.
It was kind of fun to have him thinking that I had grown my leg back, so I let him believe it for awhile.
Ora Elavgak of the Barrow Dancers waves at the crowd as she enters alongside elder Myrtle Akootchook, sister to Warren Matumeak.
Uyaġaġviŋmiut Dancers of Nuiqsut.
Uyaġaġviŋmiut.
The Aklavik Dancers, from Aklavik, NWT, Canada.
Entry of the Kotzebue Northern Lights Dancers.
Utuqqaġmiut Dance Group, from Wainwright.
The theme of this year's conference - Family and Love.
Utuqqaġmiut Dance Group.
After the grand entry, the colors were posted. Veteran George Kingik of Point Hope carried the American Flag and then saluted after he had posted it.
Before I go to bed tonight, I will try to post three more entries from Day 1. Then I will see what I am able to accomplish tomorrow.
To view these and 18 more images from the grand entry in slide show mode, click here.
Reader Comments (6)
I don't know about your other readers, Bill, but I would be more than happy for you to take as long as you need to do proper blog posts for the entire Kivgiq celebration. It really makes me feel like it's happening here, at my computer!
Hi Bill! Enjoying your posts already. Didn't get to attend Kivgiq :(
The 2 photos 2nd & 3rd from the last, Utuqqagmiut :-)
Bill, do what you need to, I'm enjoying this even though I'm way over in Massachusetts.
Your pictures are wonderful. I just wish there was sound.
Play it out how you feel it, Bill. I'll be attending.
I love the long Kivgiq posts.. I love the stories.. knowing who everyone is and a little of there histories..
The grand entry was amazing.. what pagentary! I love the customs and the happiness on everyone's faces..
It has been some years since I've travelled to Barrow, Ak from Canada to attend Kivgiq and just reading all your stories and clips brings joy to my heart and tears to my eyes as I feel the sensation of being right there again!! Thank you so much for your photos and stories Bill, they are just excellent!! I look forward to all them!!! God Bless you for your time and endless hours your put in!!!