In 1935, a nine-year-old boy's family held a forbidden Potlatch in faraway Kingcome Inlet. Watl'kina slipped from his bed to bear witness. In the Big House masked figures danced by firelight to
the beat of the drum. And there, he saw a figure he knew. Aboriginal elder Alfred Scow and award-winning author Andrea Spalding collaborate to tell the story, to tell the secret of the
dance.
Award-winning author Andrea Spalding has written many popular books for children, including Solomon's Tree, which was the First Nation Communities Read 2004 Book of
the Year. Judge Alfred Scow, elder of the Kwakwa'wakw Nation, is a member of the Order of Canada. Now retired, Judge Scow and his wife live on Pender Island and in Vancouver. Andrea and her
husband live on Pender Island, British Columbia.
Darlene Gait was born on Vancouver Island and began painting as a child. Inspired by nature and by her Coast Salish heritage, Darlene brings a rich understanding of the natural
world to her work, which is held in private collections and exhibited world-wide. Darlene lives in Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia.
Click here for background information on the making of Secret of the Dance.
