LITTLE BOSTON — Dennis Jones led the Head Start preschoolers, wearing cedar headdresses and hats, onto the floor.

The children’s performance proved to be more than entertainment; it confirmed the importance of building a new preschool in Little Boston.

As Jones drummed, the 3- and 4-year-olds sang a greeting song in the S’Klallam language, then sang and danced a song honoring the killer whale. They raised their hands in thanks, in the traditional way.

The Port Gamble S’Klallam Head Start not only provides preschoolers essential learning services, but also helps instill  a healthy sense of identity.

“Early childhood education gives our children the opportunity to learn their language, culture and the essentials they need (to succeed in school),” Port Gamble S’Klallam Chairman Jeromy Sullivan said. “It’s a great opportunity and a part of the legacy that we want to build here.”

About 120 people attended “An Evening of Northwest Art, Singing & Dance,” a fundraiser for a new preschool on the Port Gamble S’Klallam reservation, Oct. 22 in the House of Knowledge.

The event was co-hosted by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Foundation and the S’Klallam Early Childhood Education Program.

About $19,308 was raised for the preschool project, according to foundation executive director Denise Comstock. That amount is a long way from the total project cost of $1.3 million, but there were other benefits of the event, such as community outreach, she said.

The project will be funded in part by a $500,000 federal grant. Construction is expected to begin in summer 2012, with completion in summer 2013.

The new 5,100-square-foot preschool will replace a 1,500-square-foot building which, built in 1939, is the oldest community building on the reservation.

Early Childhood Education Director Jacki Haight said her department accommodates up to 32 Early Head Start children and 37 Head Start children, and also provides special education assistance and  before- and after-school care. The new building will enable her to expand her extended-day programs and offer on-site emotional skills support, mental health services and speech therapy.

Building designs show LEED-certified elements, such as use of recycled building materials, extensive use of natural light, rainwater capture and recycling, and a living green roof on the outdoor learning and play space.

Attendees perused silent auction items and enjoyed a dinner of smoked salmon with chanterelle mushroom pilaf, seasonal vegetables and cheesecake with blackberry compote.

A wide range of Native artwork was auctioned, including beadwork, carvings, clothing, drums, paintings and prints.

“Raven and Sky People,” a print by Tsimshian artist David Boxley, sparked the first bidding war, generated a top bid of $920.

S’Klallam artist Jimmy Price’s “The Kloomachin Family,” a relief of an orca family carved and painted on a western red cedar panel, was the top item of the night, generating a top bid of $1,140.