Special Events and Dance

Featuring traditional Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw dances and performances by the Tʼsasała Dance group representing various tribes within our language group are presented throughout July and August. All dances and songs are presented with pride and have our Elders approval, and remain unchanged since our Creator gave them to us. The public dance performances are held Thursday through Saturday at 1 p.m. Please call for details on admission and other special events.

The most important of our sacred dances, is the Hamatʼsa or cannibal dance. This dance is the re-enactment of a young man's possession by a cannibal spirit living at the North end of the world. Dance and songs along with rituals tame the man, bringing him back to his human self.

• The Ladies Dance: The women dance to bless the witnesses with their beauty and grace as they follow the wording and respond by hand actions showing their finest talents.


• The Mada̱m: This is a special dance belonging to the people known as the ʼNa̱mǥis. It is an incredible dramatization of a true story where a young man is given the power to fly.


• The Tuxwʼid: A powerful dance where a young lady sings her sacred songs, and through dance, will try her best to conjure up her magical treasure to show the guests what she has obtained from the spirit world.


• The Salmon Dance: A cheerful dance of twins, acknowledging that twin children come from the salmon people. This celebrates the importance of the salmon as our main subsistence.


• The Peace Dance: A colourful dance representing Chieftainship and nobility. This is a different type of dance than the ones already mentioned.


• The Ba̱kʼwa̱s: A favourite little woodsman in our folklore. This shy little cockle hunter will capture you.


• The A̱mʼlala: (Play song) The last dance will be when you come to celebrate with us at the end of our performance and join us in dance.

We are very proud to share our culture with you in these performances.

For special dance presentations contact the Uʼmista Cultural Centre for more details, Phone: 250-974-5403, Fax 250-974-5499 or by email at info@umista.ca.