Andrews – The Montessori Class at Andrews Presbyterian Church held its 28th annual “Potlatch” celebration on Oct. 31, with teacher Darlene Heaton leading the ceremony.
Heaton’s time as a Montessori teacher coincided with her first mission trip to Bellingham, Wash., to visit the Lummi Tribe of American Indians.
“It was a transformative experience to see their culture and to learn about the Potlatch as a way to celebrate the gathering for the reinforcement of the social fabric,” she said.
Heaton’s Montessori class was the first started west of Asheville, and it has been going strong since 1977. Today, her classes are held five days a week at Andrews Presbyterian Church.
“We’ve moved around a lot,” she said. “We’ve been in practically every building in Andrews.”
Heaton said this potlatch was held “to honor God, the parents and grandparents” who attended the celebration. Her four students made their own drums and traditional native dress “to also honor the culture of those who originally lived in this land.”
Congregants, family and friends – and even some of Heaton’s watercolor art class students – attended and enjoyed a brunch after the students’ performance. Heaton provided handouts detailing the origins and meanings of the “potlatch,” which is where the word “potluck” derives.
Heaton added that the potlatch was a communal gathering for others to bestow gifts upon those who were in need when leaders or elders of tribes were in a position to do so. In that vein, students made beaded necklaces and provided gifts to family members who attended.
Students entered to a drumbeat, then said both the Pledge of Allegiance and The Lord’s Prayer before launching into an American sign language rendition of the children’s song “Jesus Loves Me.” Heaton also showed a portion of the film Legacy of Lelooska, which details performances from Pacific Northwestern tribes, including various potlatch ceremonies featuring various tribal dances with vivid hand-carved masks.
Also on display in the fellowship hall were myriad pictures, masks and memorabilia of Heaton’s travels and study of First Nations cultures. Heaton said she’ll keep teaching “as long as the Lord provides the kids.”
Details: Visit andrewspca.org.