Gwa’wina Dancers - One Night only!
Tuesday, April 17, 7:00 pm, Great Hall, Museum of Anthropology
($9 flat-rate admission rate for everyone includes Gwa’wina dance performance and access to all Museum galleries. Families welcome)
The Gwa’wina Dancers, led by William Wasden Jr., are from Alert Bay, on Cormorant Island, near the northeast tip of Vancouver Island. They are members of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nation, and their traditional territories cover vast expanses from Smith Inlet down to Cape Mudge.
They are an oceangoing people who once travelled in cedar dugout canoes and lived in huge cedar plank dwellings called Big Houses. Everything in their traditional world came from the Tree of Life – the cedar tree.
The Kwakwaka’wakw have many origin stories telling of each clan’s beginnings and survival from the great flood. It is through song and dance that they celebrate and reenact these ancient histories. From time immemorial the Kwakwaka’wakw have been admired for their dancing and theatrics.
From 1884 to 1951, the cultural traditions of Kwakwaka’wakw and other First Nations cultures were misunderstood and condemned by early missionaries, government authorities, and Indian agents. The potlatch was banned, communities were forced to re-locate from their original villages, and residential schools were established, separating children from their families, their language, and their cultural traditions.
Thanks to the determination of their ancestors who fought to preserve their traditions, Kwakwaka’wakw culture has survived and is thriving today. It is through cultural sharing that the Gwa’wina Dancers bring a positive message about who they are as the Kwakwaka’wakw.
Join us at MOA on Tuesday evening, April 17, for a very special performance by this amazing dance group.
For more info, visit www.umista.ca/kwakwakawakw/dance.php. UBC Museum of Anthropology, 6393 NW Marine Drive, Vancouver www.moa.ubc.ca
