Every year we have the Alutiiq dancers come to Peterson. I love them! They tell stories through their songs and dances. Last year, the banya song was my absolute favorite. At that point, I had never been in a banya before, but the song was very energetic and happy, so I was excited to try it out. I went in a banya when I was on Woody Island for the women's retreat. It was so uncomfortably hot in there I almost died. I literally laid on the bench and thought about death. Today, when the dancers did the banya song again, I was really confused. This dance was nothing like my experience. Was I banya-ing incorrectly? During lunch, one of my coworkers explained to me more about the banya. Her son is one of the dancers (and he did a fantastic job!) and she was explaining that hunters who have been out for a long period of time would be excited to be back in and to wash up in the banya. Made a lot more sense :)
No comments:
Post a Comment