WHEN: OCT 9–12, 2024
WED, OCT 9: 7:30 PM—OPENING NIGHT
THURS, OCT 10: 7:30 PM—TALKBACK
FRI, OCT 11: 7:30 PM
SAT, OCT 12: 7:30 PM
WHERE: Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables St., Vancouver, BC
TICKETS: Tickets from $29. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/raven-mother
Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s newly choreographed dance work in honour of late Elder Margaret Harris (1931 – 2020). It 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 art forms 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.
ABOUT DANCERS OF DAMELAHAMID:
The Dancers of Damelahamid is an Indigenous dance company from the Northwest Coast of British Columbia with a rich history of masked dance that inspires a compelling performance. Through dramatic dance, captivating narrative, intricately carved masks, and elaborate regalia, the Dancers of Damelahamid transform time and space and bridge the customary with a living practice.