“When you dress up, your spirit likes that.” – Sharon Baptiste, Women’s Traditional Dancer and Knowledge Keeper.
A brand new exhibit has officially opened at the Art Gallery of Grande Prairie.
Powwow! Ohciwin the Origins was created by Patrick and Marrisa Mitsuing. Working with a diverse team of Indigenous Artists from Western Canada and the US, they assembled each of the individual dance regalia on display. During the 2019 and 2020 Powwow season, they met with knowledge keepers across North America to record the origin stories of the dances they perform.
“Powwow! Ohciwin the Origins” features seven powwow dances with full Regalia and craft work.
The dances include Men’s Traditional, Men’s Fancy, Men’s Chicken, Men’s Grass, Women’s Traditional, Women’s Fancy and Women’s Jingle.
Museum goers can see the intricate finery of men’s grass dance regalia, and read the story behind the Blackfoot chicken dance, based on the puffed-up mating behaviour of the prairie chicken.
They will also see the bead-embellishments on traditional and fancy dance regalia and learn the legend of jingle dresses, which originate from the Ojibwe people.
“Powwow! Ohciwin the Origins” will be on display until October 8.
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