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Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s (Gitxsan & Cree, Vancouver) newly choreographed dance work in honour of late Elder Margaret Harris (1931 – 2020). Raven Mother illustrates the vast impact Elder Harris had on the revitalization of Indigenous dance along the Northwest Coast, and the integral role of women in holding cultural knowledge. It celebrates our mothers who created the stronghold of these artforms and influenced the next generation of women. Raven Mother illuminates the profound leadership of our mothers, their essential contribution in this resurgence, and the force and transformation of this awakening.Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s most ambitious production and will be the culmination of generations of artistic and cultural work. With Raven Mother, movement, song, regalia, sculpture, and design, are interwoven with the embodied narrative. The Raven crest, manifested in multiple forms, embodies transformation, the strengthening of culture, the unveiling of a new spirit, and breathing life into a promise made to the children of generations to come.
Raven Mother speaks to our current realities, drawing from a rich lineage of teachings and insights. Innovation is conditional upon revealing the truths of today to pursue cultural endurance and intergenerational sustenance. Raven Mother is a tangible remembrance of a woman’s spirit, marking the shift between generations that has sparked a new role for our daughters as the force to hold their grandmother’s vision.
Late Elder Margaret Harris was a respected Cree Elder from Northern Manitoba. She spent a large part of her life on the Northwest Coast of BC with her husband Chief Kenneth Harris (1928-2010) and trained under Gitxsan Matriarch Irene Harris (1888-1972). She dedicated her life to the revitalization and teaching of Indigenous cultural practices, including song, dance, stories, and regalia making. Together, Elder Margaret Harris and Chief Harris founded the Dancers of Damelahamid in 1967.
“utilizing richly conceived projections, and a combination of offstage soundscapes and beautiful onstage vocals, the overall presentation was at once mesmerizing and haunting.” —Bateman Reviews
“Filled with joyful segments, interwoven with ritual tableaus and exquisite sequential dance elements” —Bateman Reviews
“a mesmerizing session of song and dance about reconnecting with ancestral Indigenous knowledge.” —Mooney on Theatre
“a visually striking performance that blends customary Indigenous dance forms with modern media. The overall effect is stunning.” —Istvan Reviews
“[The work] consciously captures the way they’re recovering and reinterpreting stories, dance, and song, and redefining themselves.” —Georgia Straight
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Market Hall Performing Arts Centre, 140 Charlotte St,Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Tickets
