COASTAL FIRST NATIONS DANCE FESTIVAL

On the 5^th of this month, while visiting a relative in Vancouver, BC, Canada, I attended the signature evening performance of the 9th annual Coastal First Nations Dance Festival presented by the Dancers of Damelahamid in conjunction with the UBC Museum of Anthropology. 

The UBC Museum of Anthropology was transformed into a stunning backdrop surrounded by totem poles reflecting the First Nations ancestral heritage.  The festival represented the celebration of the stories, songs and dances of the indigenous peoples of the northwest coast of North America, and presents the rich cultural traditions practiced by the various dance groups. It consisted of masks, dances, costumes and songs, reflecting each tribe’s traditional values as well as their cultural practices.

Dance performances included the Git Hoan (“people of the Salmon”), Yisya’winuxw (Kwakwaka’wakw dancers), Kwhlii Gibaygum (Nisga’a traditional performers) and the Dancers of Damelahamid (“paradise”).   All of the dancers displayed a pride of heritage sensed through their incredible blend of artistic movement and cultural expression. 

                                                       Photos by Mark Hoover and Steve Quinn

Also featured that evening was an excerpt of Flicker which very creatively highlighted some of the deeply held values of First Nations.  A Flicker is a woodpecker from the Northwest Coast that carries cultural significance.  Presented by two dancers who acted out as a pair of flickers in their coastal nature, they moved their ancestral connections forward, passing along their histories to younger generations to preserve and transmit their cultural heritage.

As I sat there I couldn’t help but be amazed at the complex and intricate mask artistry that was integrated into the dance performances.  The spiritual significance of the hand-crafted masks proved to be both fascinating and moving.    

There were a couple of the dances that I found especially enjoyable.  The first one was the “raven dance” performed by the Git Hoan, (people of the Salmon) from Southeast Alaska. Wearing raven masks they danced to the steady rhythm of the drums in honor of their raven clan. In Tsimshian mythology, the raven is symbolized as a cultural hero and as a trickster who helps the people, but because of his behavior also gets into trouble. 

The second one was the “killer whale dance”, in honor of the killer whale clan. The carved killer whale mask was animated during the highlight of the performance and strings are pulled by the dancer to move the mask open. When the strings are pulled, the whale’s face and mouth split down the center, revealing the ancestor’s face.

Public Domain

  
This was truly a enjoyable and enlightening evening. 

Public Domain

 

 Click here for more information about the Dancers of Damelahamid.