Margaret Grenier grew up immersed in the traditions of her Gitxsan and Cree ancestry, traditions that are only around today because her parents and grandparents fought to keep them alive.
“I was very fortunate because I grew up as one of the first generations to grow up with song and dance once again,” said Grenier, executive and artistic director of the Dancers of Damelahamid.
The songs and dances of Grenier’s people were almost completely lost due to a part of the Indian Act known as the potlatch ban which made traditional dance and regalia illegal across Canada from 1885 to 1951.
Dance holds an important place in Gitxsan traditions as they relate oral history.
“Our people don’t have a creation story in terms of like when the land was created,” Grenier said. “But we speak about a time when the people of the Damelahamid started and that was when our …