Kleekleeha: The Saga Continues

Kleekleeha: The Saga Continues.
      This blog entry has been, what I think appropriately named Kleekleeha: The Saga Continues.  This song is still growing and in a state of transformation! I have previously blogged about this song but the stage was set, so to speak, and she has transformed just a little bit more. We have seen and heard the song that was once just performed with the children of Huuayaht when I was their teacher, we have seen it become the Grand Entrance Song of the King & Queen of our great nation, and now we have seen the Saga of Transformation Continue. This honor is thanks to Ha-koom Hu-min-iki for it was her involvement in the Capitol Theatre that lead to this performance. Her network of friends and colleagues helped us the Huuayaht to transform our Ancient Spirit Song; The Kleekleeha: The Saga Continues!

The Lightning Canoe & Thunder Drum: A Timeless Bond. 

Kleekleeha Dancers Enter the stage!

       Is the name of this particular skit a short one about thirteen minutes in length and it is a story, in a nutshell of just one song. It has not only transformed the song but the story telling as well. It is my wish to add more theatrics to our Modern Mind presentations, while still holding true to our Ancient Spirit! That is the motto of my people the Huuayaht. This performance was on Friday the Twenty-seventh of Two Thousand and Fifteen at the Capitol Theatre in Port Alberni BC.  While there has been performances of our songs and dances in the Theatre before, this was the first, as far as being a part of a much larger Multi-Cultural society such as ours in Canada. We The Huuayaht had the fortune of opening the stage for the Third annual arts district grant program hosted the Rotary Arts Council. The opening act was a fitting one, we got to acknowledged the host nations whose territory we were fortunate enough to be within a custom of ours in the beginning of any ceremonies. For us The Huuayaht it was truly an honor!

A Sacred Journey: The Proposal. 04-08-2007

Transformation: The Song.
       As I have stated the song went through a little transformation, and at a glance it may not seem like very much at all. To the Huuayaht however it is significant. I clearly outline here in the presentation, the story and song, what is unsaid though will one day in the future have much more significance. Right before the main chorus of our song where it is saying Kleekleeha, Kleekleeha, Huuayaht, Huuayaht the singers pause for just a moment and the steersman of the canoe yells out Kleekleeha-Olio and we respond by yelling out who; who; who; who that is the transformation, and that is the addition. Its significant because Olio represents our Huuayaht Princess Olio is her nickname, and it reflects the sacred journey aboard the kleekleeha when her dad Tlii-shin proposed to her mom Hu-min-iki. That gesture reminds us aboard the Kleekleeha~Huuayaht, and in life itself that: "Our canoe, and our people best move in unity" for it is for the betterment of our children, our future Huuayaht that we move in unity.

Transformation: The Story Telling.

Thunder Drummers, Tyee Tlii-shin, & His Speaker

      The story telling too has been transformed, I have always been a little bit theatrical, not dramatic ;) Wink, wink. Something old becomes new once again, because from what I have been told the people of The Huuayaht and our larger language group The Nuuchahnulth we have always been the grandest of story tellers. I am simply trying to live up to that old adage, and make it new once again. Take note of the talking stick in hand, and to my Tyee Tlii-shin and Ha-koom Hu-min-iki the talking stick is very symbolic of history in the making. He first hands the Talking Stick to me the seekh-ci "The Speaker", and I take it with my receptive hand (The Left) and it is a reminder to me to not only talking from a place of my teachings but my heart as well. It is important to The King and Queen that my thoughts are aligned with my heart that allows for the teachings of the talking stick to transcend time.

Wedding Day: The arrival 05-06-2015

The Saga Continues! 
      We now know that the sacred canoe of my people The Kleekleeha Huuayaht its song and story attached to the our peoples and on the eve of the Huuayaht princess' birthday the story and song transformed just a little bit. Our people of the Huuayaht will tell of this day when we performed at the Capitol theatre. For this song is the spirit of our people and only together can we move forward. This invitation to perform our song The Kleekleeha Huuayaht was a perfect opportunity and all whom were there to witness seen both our Ancient Spirit and our Modern Mind. We also bore witness to a transformation, one day this will be a song and story that our princess Olio to tell, and she is a representation of the future of Huuayaht and its for them our future generations that we remember; Kleekleeha Huuayaht; Our Canoe and our People Best Move in Unity! 

HUU-AY-AHT Klee Klee Ha: In a flash of Lightning An Entrance Song Is Born.

KLEE KLEE HA HUU-AY-AHT: 

     In a Flash Of Lightning An Entrance Song Is Born The 6th Of June, Tyee Tliishin and Hakuum Homin'niki were officially married and when these two beautiful people choose to, enter into the building they choose to do so with this song: The KLEE KLEE HA ~ HUU-AY-AHT "Huu-ay-aht Lightning". A very proud moment for I, Wish Key am the song maker but in this case the song found me and now I wish to tell you how this song has a gift to navigate its own way!

      The actual Canoe came first before the song so I will start at the beginning tell you the whole story, for it was the Canoe that inspired the song.  On the 5th of June 1999 the Huu-ay-aht invited all to an event to launch the Klee Klee Ha - Lightning Canoe. Hosted by Tyee Tliishin (A.Spencer Peters) and the Huu-ay-aht People. The day started with song and dance, followed by a Blessing, and the Inaugural launch. Followed by a celebration in honor of Master Carver Nuukmiis "Ed Johnson Sr" & Apprentices Ed Johnson Jr and Gabe Williams. I had a feeling we needed a song for our canoe, but I was basking in the moment, I have witnessed many historic events in my life, but never anything like this! All I could think "Wow do we have an powerful canoe!"

     One other historic ceremony happened on that day! Tsu-i-ya-koolth Aka Granny Aggie Peters, grandmother to our current Tyee Tliishin. It was she Aggie Peters whom was gifted as a Wedding Dowry the Anacla HaaHuulthi - Territory complete with Mountain range, River, Village, Beach and water front all  encompassed within that territory. On this historic day Aggie Peters then chose to pass it on to her daughters and granddaughter. It was an wedding dowry she got from Chief Louie Nookemis when she married Tliishin Artur Peters not sure whom to pass it onto she choose all of her descendants. As the Inaugural launch continued from Ancala beach I felt even more strongly that our people, The HUU-AY-AHT needed a powerful paddle song for our brand new canoe!

     The next summer KleeKleeHa Huu-ay-aht found me, I was sitting at the sandy point of our beach at Anacla listening to the waves and the wind. Suddenly they started to sing to me I could hear the drum beat as the waves crashed ever so softly against the sandy shore, I could hear the words KleeKleeHa Huu-ay-aht in the wind. I sat there for hours and hours waiting until I knew that I had remembered the song that had navigated its way to me. The intro of the song followed soon after as did the gifting of the song to all HUU-AY-AHT, with special mention to the youth of our community I gave this song to all our peoples

     Our HUU-AY-AHT community had a lot to be proud of, we have a canoe, we have beautiful beach, we have a beautiful song. What is it that we need now? We need a Princess for our Prince Naasiismis Derek Peters and his Late father Tliishin A. Spencer Peters paddled across the Barclay sound from Bamfeild to Ucluelet in order to propose for the hand of Irene WIlliams of Ucluelet and Hupacasaht tribes respectively. A patriarchal society we live in, we then paddled to the resident village of her father in order to follow through with this proposal.  Amazingly after much coaxing and even the words of the future king himself is what won us the HUU-AY-AHT the hand of the princess from Ucluelet. Now we must prepare to celebrate this historic day.

     Shockingly and with great devastation to the HUU-AY-AHT the family of our King's family was slowly but surely transitioning to the spirit world. All of the promises that we made on that shore of Ucluelet must wait, our canoe is still for the time being, it is motionless. Our King lost family members first of his Father and without warning or time to prepare he had to grieve and fill the shoes of his father at the same time. We also lost the Queen mother Aggie Peters, and then shortly after Steven Peters younger brother to A.Spencer Peters.  We the HUU-AY-AHT were still, quiet and very much weakened.

     In weakness we found strength, we shifted and when the time came to move our canoe again Ironically we choose an anniversary the 5th of June 2015 one day before the historic wedding and 16 years after the inaugural launch. The Klee Klee Ha HUU-AY-AHT was launched again from Poets nook we paddled from and journeyed towards Port Alberni, our Nation and the Kings family were on the move again. Thanks largely to Clara Clappis Mother to our Queen for it was she whom reminded us that we need to make use of our KleeKleeHa for in her eyes when we paddled away those years ago with her daughter in our canoe. Now we are back and we need to pick up where we left of get back into that canoe and journey onwards and forwards.

     The Klee Klee Ha HUU-AY-AHT has arrived with our King and Queen in a flash of brilliance, in a flash of lightning we made a grand entrance to the song KleeKleeHa. It took the people of HUU-AY-AHT to make my beautiful song into a powerful song! The song is now befitting of all our people. It is people that give strength to move onwards and forward we entered into the building in a flash of brilliance paying homage to our King and Queen the HUU-AY-AHT entered the Alberni Athletic Hall.

     In closing I would like to say that the KleeKleeHa song found me on the shores of Pachena Bay, the song found its way into the hearts of the youth of HUU-AY-AHT and the song founds its way to become the new entrance song for our people. The KleeKleeHa is a symbol of life, and love and has very much become a part of our history. We have a King, A Queen, and in turn A Princess "Olio" that too will transform into the song over time, for we the HUU-AY-AHT are still no more, our canoe is back our Nation is back, we are the people of the Comeback! When we enter a building to conduct traditional business, we will do so with our canoe and with our entrance song: The KleeKleeha HUU-AY-AHT.

     This is a story of a song just like the canoe in which it was named after, A song that has a will to find its own way into the hearts of people. I love this song and I say Kle-co, Kle-co to all whom helped to make this song into one of beauty, power, and intrigue. I propose that for our King and Queen we call our Drum and Dance group the KleeKleeHa. We have the Thunder drummers and dancers that flash brilliance. We are the KleeKleeHa HUU-AY-AHT just like our new entrance song says!

By: Wish-Key speaker and storyteller for Tyee Tliishin and Hakuum Homin'niki

Arriving J5 2015

Canoe Family

HUU-AY-AHT Vision, includes the KleeKleeHa.

HUU-AY-AHT FIRST NATIONS Logo