Dance

Dances were used for prayers, as part of ceremonies and for entertainment purposes. When a person receives a song-there are dances that may come with the song or come later. An example: a berry picking song may also have a dance that has dancers imitate the act of picking berries. The dance can be performed as prayers for the upcoming berry season, as part of a ceremony during a foods feast or can be performed as entertainment for the general public.

In what appears to be the Spring of 1940, 3 young girls from the Inkameep Day School had told Anthony Walsh, teacher, that they had an Indian dance for him-a Butterfly dance to be more specific. Caroline Baptiste, Irene Baptiste and possibly Jane Stelkia introduced Anthony to a whole new world where the young girls, in his eyes, became butterflies and after the dance was over returned back to their human form.

After this dance was created there are several documents and photographs of a Bear dance, Groundhog Dance and Eagle dance. When Anthony Walsh resigned from his teaching position to go to war in 1942, his art program was lost with the majority of the day school education returning to the religious teachings of Roman Catholicism.

In the late 60s early 70s there were dance troupes established in the Vernon and Penticton areas of the Okanagan. In fact, when Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Edward and Princess Margaret traveled to Penticton for the Jubilee or 100th anniversary of BC's confederation into great Britain, Penticton's War Dance Club was able to perform for the royal family. The War Dance Club consisted of Penticton's last and (since no crown has ever been turned over) still remaining princess Audrey Baptiste, Rhoda Gabriel, Sophie Alec, Sarah Pierre and Verna Paul.

In the mid to late 80's Geraldine Manossa, Anna Marie Sewell and Marlena Dolan began theatre and dance programs at the En'owkin Centre. Creating after school programs and spring/ summer break programs aimed at teaching performance to Aboriginal youth within the Okanagan territory.

Today Geraldine is a contemporary dance and movement (fusions) teacher and is employed as part of the National Aboriginal Professional Artist Training (NAPAT) program. Gerry is also the booking manager and instructor for the Nak’ulamen Performance Collective. Marlena Dolan has gone on to Aboriginal arts (theatre, dance, and digital film) through non-profit society Rainbow Productions Society. Anna Marie Sewell has gone on to become a published and publicly recognized writer, theatre artist and poet.