Anishinaabekwe Karen Pheasant-Neganigwane says she was so emotional. Everything hit her once she received her plane ticket, once the press releases were out. It took a bit of reflection about the journey of Indigenous peoples.
While there have been three other Indigenous inductees, Pheasant-Neganigwane is the first Indigenous recipient to be inducted into the Canadian Dance Hall of Fame for Jingle Dress Dancing. She was honoured along with the other inductees at a ceremony last month in Toronto.
Pheasant-Neganigwane recalls leaving her Toronto home in 1983 to seek a passion that spoke to her soul. That same passion of movement, joy and bliss that her mentor, the late and famed Indigenous dancer René Highway had instilled in her.
“When I think of dance, I think of the life that it gave us, the life that we live. When your body can receive a song that is bestowed to you, and your soul receives that song, to me that’s a true dancer,” said Pheasant-Neganigwane.
In a wounded soul of passed-down trauma, a little girl tugged at her mother’s dress and chose to follow a light that made her feel free.
“I went as that little girl, getting lost in the crowd of dancers, listening to the songs and going into that—It made me feel beautiful. When I danced—I felt free—that is the only time I felt free.”
On the day of her induction, Pheasant-Neganigwane shared a piece of history. In her acceptance speech, she said it was the very same ballroom — the Palais Royale — where her mother Rosemary Lavallee (nee Mishibinijima) had her first city dance floor experience.
“Dances were performed for magical purposes, rites of passage, to induce states of ecstasy, trance or homage. Dances were performed by individuals, but mostly in groups at sacred and secular occasions. That was from the ancient Roman times through each period in history to colonial times, except for Indigenous people,” said Pheasant-Neganigwane.
Pheasant-Neganigwane says dance did not end for Indigenous people when the Indian Act banned many cultural traditions but instead went into secret societies where she says her grandparents would travel deep into the woods to keep their ceremonial practices alive.
“Isn’t that amazing, for the first time in history, they’re not recognizing me as a ballerina, they’re recognizing me as a jingle dress dancer,” said Pheasant-Neganigwane who is from Wiikwemikoong First Nation, Manitoulin Island, Ont.
When Dance Collection Danse, which gives the awards, was founded in 1986, the goal was to recover and preserve theatrical dance in Canada. Amy Bowring, the curatorial director for the organization says because of the ban on traditional practices and the oppression of Indigenous peoples, Canadians were robbed of knowing and experiencing Indigenous cultures, dances, perspectives, spirituality, and more.
“We changed our collections policy in 2018 so that the word ‘theatrical’ was eliminated. This meant that the collection would expand to include dance in all its forms as practiced in what is now Canada – theatrical, social, and spiritual,” said Bowring.
Bowring is happy that Pheasant-Neganigwane is the first powwow dancer to be inducted into the hall alongside many famous classically trained dancers and choreographers.
“From Karen Kain to Edouard Lock to the founders of Decidedly Jazz Dance works, Karen has made an indelible mark on the story of dance in Canada and present and future generations should be aware of her contribution,” said Bowring.
Pheasant-Neganigwane says as a mother, grandmother and professor, her dissertation, continued journey and making jingle dresses for her granddaughters will keep her rolling.
“To me, jingle dancing means a grounding force and celebration as a Nokomis, as an Anishinaabekwe Grandmother.”