Friends hold a traditional Tlingit potlatch honouring Rúhíyyih Khánum

Indigenous friends from the Yukon and Alaska gathered in Juneau, Alaska to renew long-time bonds of friendship and reflect on continuing their legacy of community-building.

On the weekend of 2-3 September, Bahá’í’s from Carcross Tagish First Nation, Yukon, travelled to Juneau, Alaska, to participate in a special celebration. Hosted by four local Tlingit clans, the traditional potlatch honoured the 50th anniversary of Rúhíyyih Khánum’s adoption into the Wooshkeetaan clan of the Tlingit Nation, which took place in Juneau, Alaska, on 17 August 1973. Rúhíyyih Khánum was a dear friend to the Indigenous people of the Americas and her visits to Alaska and the Yukon are remembered fondly by the Bahá’ís there.

Friends from the Yukon and Alaska, along with members of the Continental Board of Counsellors and National Spiritual Assemblies of the United States and Alaska, with the button blanket given to Rúhíyyih Khánum 50 years ago.

During her adoption ceremony, Rúhíyyih Khánum was given a Tlingit button blanket, which she treasured very much. This blanket, which is kept in the Bahá’í World Centre Archives, was generously restored by a local artist and borrowed for the occasion. It was then incorporated into the celebrations and shared with those descendants and relatives who had originally given it to her.

The weekend served as a reunion of relatives and longtime friends. It also sparked renewed collaboration between the Indigenous communities and Bahá’í institutions of Southern Yukon and Southeast Alaska—places which share the same cultural reality. The presence of two members of the Continental Board of Counsellors—Dr. Borna Noureddin and Mrs. Sonlla Heern—as well as members of the National Spiritual Assemblies of both Alaska and the United States was greatly cherished.

Those present continued a conversation started earlier this summer at a storytelling gathering in Tagish, Yukon,[1] which centered around ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Tablets of the Divine Plan, addressed to the North American Bahá’í community. We discussed the role of the younger generation in responding to the directives of these Tablets, and the potentialities in those present to make a “contribution to the fortunes of humanity.”[2]

During the gathering, the friends reflected on how they can contribute to the betterment of the world.

At the September gathering, the following passage from the Universal House of Justice was shared, and it inspired a conversation around the importance of the Covenant in guiding us as we endeavour to release the society-building power of the Faith in ever greater measures:

“You have written the story of the unfoldment of the Divine Plan on the scroll of its first century. Before you, beloved friends, lies stretched out the blank scroll of the future on which you and your spiritual descendants will inscribe fresh and lasting deeds of renunciation and heroism for the betterment of the world.”[3]

This passage also inspired a circle exercise, which demonstrated the importance of guidance from the institutions of the Faith from one generation to the next. Members serving on institutions were surrounded by the younger friends in attendance, while a friend of the Faith sang a traditional Dakota song which he learned from his grandfather who was a Bahá’í. All friends present felt uplifted by this weekend, and were encouraged to continue ceremonies that will strengthen a level of sacredness and kinship that is so central to the teachings of Baháʼu’lláh.

[1] A story about this gathering was previously published in Bahá’í Canada: https://bahaicanada.bahai.ca/friends-in-yukon-gather/.

[2] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the World, 8 February 2013.

[3] From the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá’ís of the world acting under the Mandate of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 26 March 2016.