The Messenger Feast or Kivgiq, Kevgiq (''Kivgiġñiq'' in Iñupiaq dialect of

North Slope Borough The North Slope Borough is the northernmost borough in the US state of Alaska and, thus, the northernmost county or equivalent of the United States as a whole. As of the 2020 census, the population was 11,031. The borough seat and largest cit ...

, Iñupiaq Knowledge and Skills
/ref> ''Kivgiqsuat'' in King Island Iñupiaq, ''Kevgiq'' in

Yup'ik The Yupʼik or Yupiaq (sg & pl) and Yupiit or Yupiat (pl), also Central Alaskan Yupʼik, Central Yupʼik, Alaskan Yupʼik ( own name ''Yupʼik'' sg ''Yupiik'' dual ''Yupiit'' pl; Russian: Юпики центральной Аляски), are an ...

), is a celebratory mid-winter

festival A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

in Alaska traditionally held by Iñupiaq (

Tikiġaġmiut The Tikiġaġmiut (), an Iñupiat people, live two hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle, southwest of Utqiagvik, Alaska, in the village of Point Hope (). The Tikigaq are the oldest continuously settled Native American site on the continent. ...

Nunamiut The Nunamiut or Nunatamiut (, , "People of the Land") are semi-nomadic inland Iñupiat located in the northern and northwestern Alaskan interior, mostly around Anaktuvuk Pass, Alaska. History Early Nunamiut lived by hunting caribou instead of th ...

...) and

peoples after a strong whale harvest.Hiroko Ikuta (2007)
Iñupiaq pride: Kivgiq (Messenger Feast) on the Alaskan North Slope
Études/Inuit/Studies, vol. 31, n° 1-2, 2007, p. 343-364. The event died out early in the twentieth century, when

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

missionaries in the area tried to eliminate traditional ceremonies.

Shamanistic Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...

rituals are no longer practiced, although some elders have information about these rites.

Song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

have continued to be celebrated by Alaska Natives. It was named for the two messengers sent to invite the guest village to the festival. Two Messengers (''kivgak'' dual ''kivgaq'' sg in Iñupaq; ''kevgak'' dual ''kevgaq'' sg in Yup'ik) would travel from host village to another village to invite the people to the Kivgiq. Since the late 20th century, this festival has been held almost every year, but "officially" is held every two or three years in late January or early February. It is called at the discretion of the North Slope Borough Mayor. Kivgiq is an international event that attracts visitors from around the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

. Iñupiat people had celebrated Kivgiq for many centuries. However, the earlier representations of Kivgiq were discontinued in the early 20th century due to social, economical, and environmental pressures. In 1988, after a lapse of more than 70 years, the modern Kivgiq was reconstructed. It is intended to inspire each Iñupiaq with an even stronger collective identity and enhanced ethnic pride.

References

{{Reflist 1988 establishments in Alaska Festivals in Alaska Inupiat culture Recurring events established in 1988 Tourist attractions in North Slope Borough, Alaska Yupik culture

See also

References