Among the Innu in Labrador, dances are how many elders remember the abundance of the land, rivers and oceans they once knew before reservations and government relocation initiatives. Songs and dances reflect on oral teachings from animal spirits that share a dance of happiness with the Innu when respect is given in hunting practices and rid of the remains respectfully. Songs people danced to were sometimes a way to communicate dreams believed given to guide the Innu. Dances among the Innu were to prepare for hunting and is the community’s expression of happiness during various celebrations of marriage, feasts and special events with drumming accompaniment from the elder shaman. Dancing is the ritual to recognize the responsibility of the Innu to seek a harmony with everyone – including animals and land around them.
The dances of the Innu are in a clockwise circle and called the people dance – with men and women alternating with the children watching until culture changed with the settlement of European’s. A revival of dances in the 1980’s was to celebrate community member’s returning from addiction treatment as a way to show support. Another aspect of cultural changes is how it is mostly women and not men dancing, as well as, the songs traditionally sung voluntarily to demonstrate support there now is the expectation of payment. Changes were heavily influenced after the enforcement of Christian values after the 1950s who frowned upon traditional practices of the Innu (nativedance.ca).
Dance for the Mi’kmaq is a ritual to express their prayers and preparation for hunting, warring and courtship. Community celebrations including birth, weddings and tribal agreements would be occasions to dance. Large gatherings were an opportunity to bring your family honour as there was an element of competition of who could dance the longest. Changes due to colonial settlement and laws that banned the use of language and culture were enforced by the church, school and government policies created a divide between the older and younger generations. Without the transmission of their Mi’kmaq songs and dances, much of the cultural knowledge was lost yet continued efforts are afoot to keep alive cultural practices.
Dance for Mi’kmaq is often a way to unite with the natural world and animal spirits by mimicking their movements and sounds, which for some occasions would help hunters prepare for hunting. The songs belonged to specific family groups and are formally introduced when shared publicly and will be formally handed down as an inheritance for present family members to take responsibility to protect and pass the songs onto future generations. Dances and songs from Pow-wow and Sun Dance traditions were adopted by those Mi’kmaq who traveled west and learned about teachings from western first nations and returned with Pow-Wow style drums and beliefs.
This influx of transplanted culture inspired local Mi’kmaq in the 1960s to explored cultural roots and begins a cultural revival. One example is the Eskasoni Mi’kmaq Dancers who were granted Grand Council authorization to record chants customarily sung by men were recorded and preserved by the women and carry on today. Traditional songs, chants and Welcome and Travel dances and, including modern adaptations and contributions like the Mi’kmaq Honour Song composed by George Paul are still sung. Eskasoni elder Georgina Doucette is known for her beautiful dance shawls she has designed to help Mi’kmaq dancers aware of their roots
(nativedance.ca).
The Métis jig is a spirited dance with footwork ranging from a basic jig step into more intricate dance combinations that fast paced fiddle rythms the dancers keep quick time with. With an competitive air among Métis jiggers there are many contests for dancers, especially the men, to try and out-step one another with intricate footwork and challenging mixture of steps difficult to follow.
This article is a non-comprehensive and living document that provides an overview of artistic activities in the region. It will be revised as necessary as part of our ongoing process of continuous updates.