In 鈥�86 it was Expo. In 2010 it was the Winter Olympics. But last weekend topped them all.
鈥淚t was just amazing,鈥� Charlene Williams says. 鈥淚t was definitely one of my favourite memories.鈥�
As a member of the Squamish Nation, Williams has danced for as long as she can remember. It鈥檚 a part of her fabric: a string that ties her to her culture and ancestry. On Thursday, Aug. 7, it also became the thread that connected the Squamish Nation鈥檚 youth to the community at large. It鈥檚 a moment that moves Williams to tears.
鈥淚 felt so proud,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 fear the future of our people and culture.鈥�
At the kickoff of the Squamish Valley Music Festival, 27 members of the Welh Tima Kexwusem dancer team hit the stage with the Ottawa-based electronic music band A Tribe Called Red. What was originally planned as a single act for a single song with the Nipissing First Nation and Cayuga First Nation artists evolved into the entire set.
It鈥檚 going to be difficult to top the event, Williams鈥檚 15-year-old son Johnny says. It was an amazing experience to dance for his peer group, he noted. The performance in front of approximately 30,000 people was an eye opener for many of Johnny鈥檚 non-native friends. Some of them didn鈥檛 know about his involvement in his nation鈥檚 cultural activities.聽
鈥淎fter the show some of my friends were asking questions about my culture,鈥� he says.
Groups like A Tribe Called Red help showcase historical traditions with a modern twist, Williams said. Thousands of years ago, the Squamish Nation would have welcomed people into the community with the same dances that they did onstage with a Tribe Called Red.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to see how people are trying the traditions and using them today,鈥� Williams said.聽
A Tribe Called Red describes its music as 鈥淧owwow step,鈥� a smooth collision of First Nation songs with what one might hear on the dance floor of a nightclub. They鈥檝e helped inspire the next generation of First Nations to be proud of their culture, Squamish Nation dancer Deanna Lewis says. The Juno Award-winning band have brought attention to mainstream racism, with Ian 鈥淒J NDN鈥� Campeau filing a human rights complaint against an amateur Ottawa football club that was using 鈥淩edskins鈥� as its club name.聽
The dance team is still buzzing from the night. The crowd was so loud, 13-year-old Nolan Rudkowsky said. He鈥檚 crossing his fingers that next year they鈥檒l get a chance to dance again.聽
The crew was not nervous about the performance, Lewis said.聽
鈥淲e had prayed beforehand and we know our songs,鈥� Lewis says, her voice brimming with excitement. 鈥淓very time we started dancing the crowd went wild. Everyone was a rock star.鈥�
