Dance: First Nations, Métis and Inuit Dance, Past and Present

The feeling of belonging to a group, and the language, beliefs, stories, music, dance and ways of life the group shares.

Regalia is special clothing with deep personal, family and cultural meaning, often handmade. A costume is for pretending. Calling regalia a costume is disrespectful.

Haudenosaunee communities (for example, Six Nations of the Grand River).

It banned the potlatch (and later added limits on other ceremonies and dances). The bans were removed in 1951.

Many families kept dances, songs and regalia alive in secret and passed them on to younger people.

Any one: powwows in Ontario communities; contemporary dance companies such as Kaha:wi Dance Theatre or Red Sky Performance; young people learning jigging, drum dancing or powwow styles; festivals and competitions.

A gathering to celebrate First Nations culture with dancing, singing, drumming, food and visiting.

A person who holds and shares the knowledge and traditions of their culture, such as an Elder or Knowledge Keeper.

The qilaut.

The fiddle.

No. They are living traditions danced today.

Métis culture comes from First Nations and European families. Jigging blends First Nations dance with Scottish, Irish and French fiddle and step-dance traditions, just like the culture itself.

They give accurate information and the teachings behind the dance, from the people it belongs to. Other sources may contain mistakes or stereotypes.

A sacred dance is part of ceremony and spiritual belief; guests watch respectfully (and don't take photos if asked) and do not copy it. A social dance is for gathering and fun; guests may join when invited.

Because dance is part of their cultural identity, connected to prayer, healing, stories, family and history. Losing the dances would mean losing part of who they are.

It shows artists today are creating new dances rooted in their culture's stories and teachings, not only repeating old ones. Living traditions keep growing and changing.

Powwow dances and regalia have deep cultural and sometimes sacred meaning; copying them with paper feathers turns them into a costume and a stereotype, and they are not ours to make versions of. A better idea: invite a culture-bearer or a local Indigenous dance group to share (if the school can arrange it), watch a performance made by the community, or create our own dance about a theme we connect to, and learn about powwow dancing through community-made sources.

Look for: a feeling (e.g., "I felt angry that people were punished for dancing"), a connection (e.g., to a tradition in the student's own family, or to a time something important was taken away), what it shows about cultural identity, and a question (e.g., "How did families hide regalia?").

Example: Métis jigging and Inuit drum dancing both bring people together at gatherings and connect generations, and both express pride in identity. They differ in music (fiddle vs the dancer's own frame drum and singing), movement (fast, intricate footwork vs a dancer turning and striking a large drum), and the communities and lands they come from (Métis homeland vs Inuit Nunangat).