Text & Photos : Ninka North
These portraits of dancers in traditional costumes called “regalias” were all made during summer powwows in Quebec and Ontario. The colors and patterns of the beadwork and clothing are linked to an identity and sacred symbolism, specific to each dancer. They are made during the winter and have a very important spiritual value.
If these festive events do not reflect the social reality of the natives, they nevertheless reveal the extreme respect given to spirituality in this perpetuation of thousand-year-old rites. The dances are always orchestrated by a master of ceremonies and animated by groups of drummers.