Welcome Family and Friends to our Bighouse

This contemporary story is told through the voice of a 12-year-old Kwakwaka’wakw girl named Gana, who lives in ‘Yalis (Alert Bay, BC). From the time she is little, Gana attends Potlatches and ceremonies in the Bighouse. The regalia she wears―a button blanket, dancing apron and masks―were designed and made for her based on her family origins or clans. The ancient cultural teachings she learns in the Bighouse are useful to Gana in her everyday life and continue to have value in the 21st century.