A Mahalo Ceremony

[Ailani]

A Mahalo Ceremony

Every full moon, the pack has a ceremony called a Mahalo, which means Grateful. Its purpose is to bring the pack together to celebrate special events in the pack, such as the birth of a new litter, and to honor their ancestors by presenting gifts to them.

This ceremony isn't all fun and games. It takes a lot of time to prepare for and can be very serious at some points.

Jobs:
Some things need to be done before you can really have fun.

~ Fishers are to catch the finest fish.

~ Hunters are to catch the largest boar.

~ Warriors are to gather wood (drift wood or sticks) and Flaming Rocks.

~ Healers are to gather edible berries and fruits.

~ Sitters are to create necklaces of shark teeth for the males and flower hat rings for the females.

Phases:
First Phase~ The alphas stand on the Great Kamaka and say a speech about why the pack is gathered here and tell the pack what they have that some others don't, such as a new litter of pups; a new set of apprentices; a new member; a new mated pair; a rank change to an elder or high rank (Beta, Alpha, Delta); or abundance of food and shelter.

Second Phase~ The pack then begins their feast. They first begin with the boar, a small thanks to their ancestors from the hunters is said before they each eat their share. Then the fish, another thanks from the fishers to their ancestors and they eat. The berries and fruit are then served and yet another thanks from the healers to their ancestors. The Sitters then present the necklaces and the ringed flower hats to the pack.

Third Phase~ The warriors then lights the Ke Ahi and the pack howls to the moon and their ancestors what they are grateful for. Then, the games begin. Mostly the pups and apprentices play games while the adults chat about.