Cama-i means hello in Yup'ik.
The Cama-i Dance Festival occurs over a 3-day weekend each year in late March, drawing performance groups (showcasing mainly traditional Yup'ik and Inupiat story dances) from rural Alaska and other regions. 
It is an exceptionally well-attended event accompanied by a Native crafts festival featuring intricate beadwork and fur accoutrements. There was even the promise of Hmong lion dancers this year [which I did not see because it's really really hard to sit on bleachers in a crowded high school gymnasium for more than a few hours at a time...]
2 comments:
i've always been curious about this festival! glad you got to see it. i was there for the yk dog sled race but was so ill with resp distress and fever i never made it :-(
You'll get the hang of the subtlety of camai and waqaa.
Camai is an especially warm welcome, use both hands to grasp the other person's hands when saying this.
Waqaa is an older version of wazzup or what's up or que pasa or howdy or welcome or kia ora or ...
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