2010 We yah hani nah Festival Program
School Programs - UBC Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver
Monday February 1 and Tuesday February 2
To register: bookings@moa.ubc.ca 604-822-3825
School Matinee - Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver
Wednesday February 3
To register: info@damelahamid.ca 604-922-5277
Evening Performance - Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver
Thursday February 4, 8 PM
Chinook Song Catchers – Squmaish/Nisga'a
Dakka Kwaan – Tagish/Tlingit
Kwe Unglis Dancers - Haida
Le la la Dancers - Kwakwaka’wakw
Turanga Ararau Kapa Haka -
Maori (New Zealand)
Dancers of Damelahamid - Gitksan
Showcase - Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, Whistler
Sunday February 14, Times tba
Turanga Ararau -
Maori (New Zealand)
Dancers of Damelahamid - Gitksan
The
Dancers of Damelahamid
The Dancers of Damelahamid are a traditional Gitksan dance group originally from the Skeena River in Northwestern, B.C. They present masked dances, stories, and songs belonging to Simoiget Hagbegwatku, the highest ranking chief of the Dakhumhast House. Their songs and dances depict their people’s origins, and tell stories of how their societies grew and flourished. These songs are used to welcome guests and villagers to a feast and reenact important events in their history.
Chief
Ken Harris & Elder Margaret Harris were instrumental in reviving First
Nations culture of the Northwest coast during the 1960's-1980's in Prince
Rupert, BC. For twenty years they hosted the annual "Yaw Hawni naw"
festival at Fishermans Hall in Prince Rupert. They also taught the rich
cultural heritage belonging to the Dakhumhast House to their children,
grandchildren, nieces & nephews. It is this next generation of the
Dakhumhast that has carried on in the footsteps of their elders and established
the "We yah hani nah Coastal First Nations Dance Festival" in
Vancouver.
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Chinook Song Catchers - Squamish/Nisga'a
The Chinook SongCatchers are an authentic Aboriginal dance group that descends from the Squamish and Nisga’a nations. This dynamic dance group has been representing their heritage at major venues in Vancouver for over fourteen years. Performing at multi-cultural festivals and art celebrations; and conducting welcoming ceremonies for international guests to Vancouver with a touch of Coast Salish hospitality.
The group is made up of Maurice and Delhia Nahanee, and their daughters Mandy and Marissa. Maurice is from the Squamish Nation and Delhia is Nisga’a from northern, BC. The Chinook SongCatchers has traveled to international events as ambassadors of our respected nations. We have traveled to Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland, Italy, and Turkey. It is our honour to be invited guests and represent our ancient history; we sing traditional songs of prayer, and celebration.
LE-LA-LA
Dancers - Kwakwaka’wakw
The Le-La-La Dancers are a Victoria based First Nations Dance Troupe. The group have been together for over 20 years, under the artistic direction of George Taylor, and have traveled throughout the world sharing their culture. Le-La-La means “traveling from here to there” in Kwakwaka’wakw.
“Spirit of the Masks”
dance presentation is a narrated demonstration of traditional songs and
dances. Messages of respect and honour for each other, as well as towards
our environment and all that live on Mother Earth are sent throughout
the performance. The performers use carved cedar masks, headdresses, drums,
rattles and button blankets to depict the ancient legends of animals and
spirits within their culture. The variety of dances include the Bear,
Raven, Whale, Thunderbird, the Transformation Echo, and the Chiefs Peace
dance. All the dances and songs originate since time beyond recollection,
from the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples ceremony called the Potlatch. The
potlatch word means “to give” and it is the traditional way
to express joy and mark important life occasions such as the naming of
children, marriage, transferring rights and privileges and mourning the
dead. It is a time of pride- a time for showing the masks and dances owned
by the family giving the potlatch.
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Dakka Kwaan Dancers- Tagish/Tlingit
Dakka Kwaan began in May of 2007 and is based in Carcross, Yukon, a small
northern community located fifty miles inland from the Alaskan coast.
The group is comprised of many dancers who have been participating in
their traditional singing and dancing since they were babies and small
children. The group consists of members from the Carcross/Tagish First
Nation, Teslin Tlingit Council, Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the Vuntut
Gwitchen First Nation. Dakka Kwaan focuses on bringing
their traditional stories into life through dramatization, song, dance,
drumming, storytelling and multi-media. It is their vision to continue forward in developing their theatre company to draw the attention of audiences
to their culture, their story and the issues that they feel are important
to share in both historical and contemporary terms. The main focus of
Dakka Kwaan dancers is to bring opportunity of cultural
revitalization and social transformation within our community by reclaiming
our traditional values by singing the songs of our ancestors.
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Turanga Ararau Kapa Haka - Maori
Turanga Ararau is a post secondary arts training program from Gisborne New Zealand. They present Maori weaponry, voice, Poi, movement and experession in a dynamic performance that projects the contemporary face of New Zealand. The artists have travelled extensively as cultural ambassadors throughout the world. This group has toured at The World Indigenous Peoples Conference in Melbourne, Australia; World Folk Song Festival in Bejing, China; International Festival, Washington, USA.
Kwe Unglis Dancers - Haida
The Kwe Unglis Haida dancers are an enthusiastic group, proud of where they come from, and who they are. Formed in 1969, all memebers of the group have been born and raised in Prince Rupert. Their work has enabled young people to gain self esteem and a strong interst in their culture, many of which have now become master artists. Kwe Unglis have performed at many villages throughout the Northwest Coast as well as in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary & Japan.
The Dancers of Damelahamid are very pleased to welcome Kwe Unglis Dancers to the We yah hani nah Coastal First Nations Dance Festival in Vancouver. The two groups have had a long dance relationship spanning over four decades and were part of the original Haw Yaw hawni naw Festival in Prince Rupert.
