Juneau Where I've Been?

We awoke on Saturday in Juneau....

The lovely, isolated capital of Alaska.
Inaccessable by road.
If you are in Juneau, you know one thing for certain.
You either got here by boat or by plane.

The startling things about the bush planes is the very, VERY short taxiway they need. I stood on the deck and watched one take off, starting from the next space up from us on the wharf, and by the time it reached the end of our boat, it was in the air.


As soon as we got off the boat to head to our wild kayak adventure, we were greeted by this...

There was a parade consisting of various groups of indian clans, complete with drums,

chanting,

and flying dancers.

I wasn't sure what the occasion was, but, as it was a Saturday morning, i thought perhaps it was something they do "for the tourists."

That's nice, i thought, but something wasn't quite right.
It wasn't schlocky, there was a definite vibe there, and it was obviously families...everyone was included, from those that were not walking yet...

to those that could no longer walk...

and those that can't be stopped.

I knew this was something, but didn't have any idea what we were witnessing, so i just soaked it up, and took lots of pictures.

The faces were wonderful, beautiful, expressive.

I loved this man, proudly leading his clan...

And this lady moved me when i saw her, and still grips me every time i see the picture.

It wasn't until the next day that i learned what it was i had been fortunate enough to witness.

At Saxman Village in Ketchican, someone apologized that the head totem carver wasn't around to give his demonstration because he was in Juneau at a potlatch.

It seems that each year, all the clans gather in one place for...well, i guess it is more or less a great big family reunion, of sorts--family reunion / business meeting. This parade marked the beginning of the gathering.

I cannot even fathom the good fortune...this parade takes place over the span of about 45 minutes, ONCE a year, in a different place each year, and we just happened to walk off the boat, right into the big middle of it.

I think this parade was my favorite part of the whole trip.