Gwa'wina Dancers

ʼYa̱witła̱lał (Welcome Dance)
This dance came to the ʼNa̱mǥis tribe as a dowry, through marriage with a tribe from the West Coast. Our tribe has a trade route that we call the "Grease Trail", which connects to the other side of Vancouver Island. Besides trade, many marriages took place with our Nuchahnulth relatives of Friendly Cove and Kyuquot. G̱ilakasʼla / Welcome.

Hamatʼsa (Cannibal Dance)
The Hamatʼsa is the highest-ranking and most sacred Tʼseka (Winter-Ceremony) of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw. The Hamatʼsa is the reenactment through song and dance of a young man's possession by the man-eating spirit Baxwbakwalanuksiweʼ, who lived at the north end of the world. Through rituals, song and dance the initiate is purified and tamed, thus, bringing him back to his human state. The dancers you will now witness are initiates of the Hamatʼsa society.

Tła̱lḵwała (Ladies Dance)
The Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw First Nations have a Potlatch ranking order that we recognize in our culture. This ranking system was established through Potlatching and war. During our winter ceremonies the host Chief will ask the ladies of the various tribes to come and dance, starting with the highest ranking. The ladies wear button blankets decorated with the crests and history of their families. These blankets replaced furs and cedar-bark robes after European contact. The ladies listen to the words of the song and dance gracefully to the beat, displaying their gift of dance.

Dzunuḵʼwa (Wild Women Dance)
Dzunuḵʼwa is a member of the large family of giants who live in the far away mountains and woods. In most legends she is female in character and black in colour, with bushy, unkempt hair and a pursed mouth through which she utters the cry, "Huuu! Huuu!" She is a terrifying and threatening creature. She usually carries a huge basket on her back in which she puts disobedient children that she has captured, taking them to her home deep in the mountains to eat them. In some stories fortunate children outwit her, as she is vain, dim-witted and clumsy. In another aspect of Dzunuḵʼwa, she is the possessor of the "Water-of-Life", a gift she can bestow on people lucky enough to encounter and overcome her. Her most important role is that of the bringer of wealth and good fortune.

Długwala (Wolf Dance)
This dance, also known as the "Supernatural One", imitates the wolves. In the beginning of time, a ʼNa̱mǥis Ancestor named Tʼsiʼʼwalagamaʼyi went to seek supernatural power. After four days and nights of fasting and cleansing, he received a powerful spiritual gift. He appeared across the Gwaʼni River facing towards his village riding on the back of a huge supernatural wolf. His tribe tied four canoes together and set out to capture him. After they had retrieved him, they paddled him home on the catamaran and then cleansed his father's house for him to share his treasure. It is said that his dance was so great that it was known throughout the coast and in all realms known to our people; it was famous.

ʼNa̱ʼnalalał (Weather Dance)
The Weather Dance represents the power of the elements and the forces of nature that control our every day lives. The dance involves rapid movements of the body from left to right following the rhythms of the song. The torso is slightly tilted forward and the hands are open and upward with palms toward the front at about the height of the shoulders. The dancer wears a blanket that is ornamented with feathers and a forehead mask with a long beak projecting outwards and worn on the forehead. The dance is sometimes referred to as the "Dance-of-the-Wind". The lively movements of the blanket are made by the dancer and imitate the winds and higher altitudes of the atmosphere. The dancer is initiated by the spirit of Baxwbakwalanuksiweʼ.

Tuxwʼid (Warrior Dance)
Tuxwʼid, the one who traveled. This ancient dance comes from the warrior spirit Winalagalis (Making-War-Around-the-World), who takes away the initiates of his dance societies and brings them around the world in his magic copper canoe. Winalagalis bestows a spiritual song on his members who on their return chant this special song to call upon their power. In our winter ceremonies, these dancers are challenged by certain Chiefs to display their spiritual power and prove their worthiness in the gathering. The dancer will attempt to do so four times as this is the spiritual number of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw to show her gift from Winalagalis.

Meʼdza̱wesuʼ (Salmon Dance)
The Salmon Dance is the dance of twins. When twins are born we believe that they are spiritual gifts from the Salmon People. This dance is the birth right of all twins and is danced to celebrate the uniqueness of twins and the greatest of our resources, the salmon. The dancers carry feathers representing twins and the dancers jump during the song imitating the salmon during their life cycle while at sea.

A̱mʼlala (Play Dance) "Grease Trail"
To celebrate the completion of special events, we have play songs that are fun and less serious. Everyone is welcome to join in. This song comes from the ʼNa̱mǥis and is shared with our Mowachaht relatives of Friendly Cove. This song reaffirms our connection to them, through our Grease Trail. We invite you to come and participate, to symbolically walk to the other side of our world, the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Ha̱lakasʼlakʼala (Farewell Song)
This ancient song is said to be thousands of years old. It came to the people of Knight Inlet from a mountain people believed to be from the interior of British Columbia. The story tells of a tribe that came down into the valley of Knight Inlet. These people befriended the inlet people and shared many songs. When these people tried to return to their home over the mountains and glaciers, the weather was not in their favour and they were caught in bad weather. Sadly, the whole tribe died. All that remained was the beautiful songs they had left behind. This song eventually included Kwakʼwala in it and was transferred through marriage to the Ławitʼsis, Turnour Island people, who own it today. Ha̱Iakasʼla / Farewell.

William Wasden Jr.
Dance Group Coordinator

Photos: Sharon Eva Grainger

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