Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s newly choreographed dance work in honour of late Elder Margaret Harris (1931 – 2020). Raven Mother illustrates the vast impact Elder Harris had on the revitalization of Indigenous dance along the Northwest Coast, and the integral role of women in holding cultural knowledge. It celebrates the mothers who created the stronghold of these artforms and influenced the next generation of women. Raven Mother illuminates the profound leadership of mothers, their essential contribution in this resurgence, and the force and transformation of this awakening.

Raven Mother is the Dancers of Damelahamid’s most ambitious production and will be the culmination of generations of artistic and cultural work. With Raven Mother, movement, song, regalia, sculpture, and design, are interwoven with the embodied narrative. The Raven crest, manifested in multiple forms, embodies transformation, the strengthening of culture, the unveiling of a new spirit, and breathing life into a promise made to the children of generations to come.

Raven Mother speaks to the current Indigenous realities, drawing from a rich lineage of teachings and insights. Innovation is conditional upon revealing the truths of today to pursue cultural endurance and intergenerational sustenance. The work is a tangible remembrance of a woman’s spirit, marking the shift between generations that has sparked a new role for daughters as the force to hold their grandmother’s vision.

Developed with support from the National Arts Centre’s National Creation Fund.