Dance Regalia

Background

A variety of dance regalia is used for Potlatch. Following are

elementary-appropriate versions of dance fans, masks, belts,
headdresses and armbands.

Dance Fans Tequmiak

Both men and women use dance fans, called tequmiak.

Womens fan bases are made of carved wood (more common
on the Yukon) or coiled grass (more common on the
Kuskokwim). Dance fans were traditionally decorated with
animals or spirits. The fur is caribou. Yukon-style fans have
3 pintail duck feathers with down or rabbit fur on the tips.
Dance fans were traditionally decorated with animals or
spirits.

Mens fans are made of two wooden circles or of carved

wood, with five swan feathers.

Step 1: Boys get the round fans. Girls get the 8 shaped
fans. Cut out 4 fans each (a front and back for 2 finished
fans). Paint fan bases and set aside to dry. Draw and cut out
an animal to glue on each fan when they are dry.
Step 2: Boys fans will have 5 large feathers. Girls fans will
have 4 sections of cut paper and three half-pipe cleaners
with small feathers twisted onto the tips between them. Lay
one fan base face down, glue the feathers, etc. on, then add
some more glue to stick the top fan base on. They may
need to dry under a book or other heavy item.

Mask
Kegginaquq/Nepcetaq
Masks were traditionally carved from driftwood. Shamans
directed the making of masks and composed songs and
music for winter ceremonies. Some masks represented
animal spirits the shaman asked to return for the people to
hunt them. Others represented the shamans helper spirits
or journeys. A unique story-song and dance was composed
for each mask. Spirits inhabited the masks during
performances.

This mask represents a tuunraq, a shamans helping spirit.

This mask represents the wind-maker. The white tube is for

blowing winter winds and the black for summer.

This mask represents a spirit that lives in the moon and

controls the availability of sea mammals. A seal face is
emerging from the left side.

This mask represents a black bear with its tongue hanging

out, perhaps in fatigue at running from hunters.

This photo was taken in Hooper Bay around 1940.

(Suggested introduction: put this document on the

smartboard to show kids these example masks to get ideas.)
Step 1: Clay
Use clay to make the decorative pieces that will be attached
around the outside of the mask. Set them aside to harden.
Step 2: Mask Base
Students should choose a tracer shape for their mask. Trace
it on cardboard, cut it out, cut out at least eyes, plus nose
and mouth holes if they want. Draw and color additional
features.
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Step 3: Put it Together

Use popsicle sticks to attach clay decorations around the
mask. Add feathers or fur if desired. Kids can tell stories
about their mask character when they are finished.

Belts Naqugun

(Girls only)

Women use belts naqunun made of fur (traditionally) or

yarn, which provide spiritual protection while dancing.

Here is an example of a fur belt.

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You will make belts by finger-knitting.

Step 1: Hold the yarn between your thumb and index finger
with the tail on the back of your hand.

Step 2: Wrap the yarn over your index finger, under your
middle finger, over your ring finger, and under your pinkie.
Wrap the yarn up around your pinkie and under-over each
finger back again. Repeat so you have 2 layers on the front
of each finger.

Step 3: Start at the pinkie. Slip the bottom sting up over

the top string and behind your finger. Continue along your
fingers slipping each bottom string over the top.

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Step 4: Weave the working end of the yarn back over and
under your fingers to make another row above the old row.
Continue steps 3 and 4 until your belt is long enough to tie
comfortably around your waist.

(At first it wont look like this, but keep

going and it will start to look neater.)

Headdresses Nasqerrun (Girls

only)
Women also use headdresses nasqurrun made with wolf
and wolverine fur and trimmed with fur or beads. Women
usually wear beaded necklaces and earrings as well.

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Step 1: Choose a color for the headband. Make it about 3

inches tall and long enough to fit around her head. Draw
designs, pictures, or patterns on the band.
Step 2: Get enough strips of brown to fit around her head.
Snip along the edge like you are making grass. Repeat with
the light tan strips.
Step 3: Glue the brown strip behind the headband and the
tan strip behind the brown strip with the snipped sides up
like fur. Staple the ends together, and you have a
headdress!

Men wear fur armbands, one dark and one light, made of
wolf and wolverine fur.

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(I know theyre hard to see; this is the best I

could do.)

Only men drum. Traditionally drums were made from walrus

stomachs stretched across driftwood frames.
Both men and women can use qaspeqs (shirts) and
piluuguks (boots) for dancing, but you wont be making
those.

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Armbands (Boys only)

Step 1: Cut a tan paper strip long enough to fit about of
the way around the boys upper arm. Cut a piece of yarn
long enough to tie and untie around the boys upper arm.
Staple it to the paper. Each boy will make 2.

Step 2: Glue white fur to one and darker fur to the other.
Thats all- so easy!

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