Cultural celebration Saturday
<p>Fancy dancer Emmitt White, 9, performs with other members of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's Shooting Star Dancers in the common area of the student union building at North Idaho College as part of American Indian Heritage Week in this April 4, 2011, Press file photo.</p>
The Coeur d'Alene Casino is offering a new summer tradition called "Cultural Experience," a celebration of dance, drums, songs and sharing tribal wealth.
The event, which intertwines classic and contemporary elements of the Coeur d'Alene Tribe's history, will be held Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. in the Chinook Meadow, on the casino grounds in Worley.
The event is free and open to all. Guests will be treated to a welcome gift of huckleberry jam and a small package of salmon, opening announcements and blessings from Cultural Affairs Director Quanah Matheson and an evening of activities including dancing, singing and games.
"The performances by the tribe will be extraordinary," Matheson said. "Our young members create their own modern style of dance that honors ancient and existing traditions and culture. It's an extremely unique and beautiful display of respect for those among us and those who came before us."
The event will open with a rider on horseback, entering to the sound of a flute and a welcoming narration from Matheson. The story of the dance will come, and of the significance of the drum. But the dances, many of them older than memory, will include a new twist, and possibly the birth of a new tradition.
For uncounted centuries, tribes in the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere have looked to the summer season for special gatherings, including singing, dancing, games and competitions. As non-Indian trappers and traders came, those gatherings included rendezvous.
"We have a strong element with this history," Matheson said. "It has always been inclusive of everyone, coming together in a good way, a peaceful way and a way to share the great bounty that our creator provides us. We now have a new gathering with new elements, so we will share and enjoy this time together."
Doors to the Cultural Experience open at 6 p.m. The Coeur d'Alene Casino welcomes everyone to join in the celebration of the season and create new traditions. For more information, visit www.CDACasino.com.