Vancouver-based Métis dance company V’ni Dansi — which translates to “come and dance” in Mitchif — is celebrating National Indigenous History Month through a new dance performance called The Mitchin di Mitchif (“Mitchif Medicines”).
The company partnered with another Indigenous dance group in New Mexico called Dancing Earth, collaborating on cultural knowledge and Métis plant medicines.
Wiping tears from her eyes, V’ni Dansi’s artistic director Yvonne Chartrand said it felt so good to watch her creation come to life, having first thought of the concept in 2014.
“I feel like my spirit has just been so fed,” she said. “We have so much beauty and joy and love to share with people and that’s what it’s about for me.”
She said the piece celebrates people’s connection to earth and highlights the importance of plant medicine in Indigenous cultures.
“A lot of the elders are saying right now that you need to go back to the land and you need to have a relationship with the land and the plants,” Chartrand said. “Before you can move forward, you need to go back.”
“Plant medicines are part of all the cultures,” said dancer Eloi Homier. “A lot of different cultures have the same teachings, but it’s been lost or it’s been patented and sold for profit … So, it’s really nice to be able to sort of dance and express it in an artistic way — just the connection to the land and the connection to plants and medicine.”
For fellow dancer Madelaine McCallum, the narrative of the piece is especially significant, as she went through cancer and surgery during the creative process.
“Some of the process that we did was very healing for me — to be with the plants and the trees,” she said, adding that the dance also celebrates the resilience of her Indigenous peoples.
“It really allows us to say that we’re still here. We still have our culture. We still have our dances, our songs, our spirit. And they couldn’t kill the spirit inside of us,” she said.
The group said the development of the contemporary dance work involved consultations with elders and cultural keepers.
“It’s always nourishing to remember our relationships to so many relatives,” said dancer Esmé Olivia.
Audiences can watch the performance this week at Scotiabank Dance Centre. The final performance is on June 21 — National Indigenous Peoples Day.