Dance Screen

Item number A4327 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

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Description

White cotton dance screen with black design. The design is a raven motif in profile with wings and legs extended. There is a bear-like figure in the torso. The motifs are painted in black with an oil spread into the fabric beyond the black outlines. The design is cut off on both sides. The top and bottom edges are hemmed. There are holes along the top edge for hanging.

History Of Use

Large cotton sheets painted with the Tsetseka spirit of the dancing house replaced earlier painted cedar plank walls. Each dancing house had its own spirit-painted curtain which was used as a screen to close off the rear part of the house, providing a space for masks and other ceremonial objects to be placed in readiness for the dancers. This space was strictly forbidden to uninitiated people. Entrance of the dancers was from the right of the screen and exits were to the left.

Cultural Context

ceremonial

Specific Techniques

Commercial cotton fabric is painted black, either with water pigment, mud and charcoal, or commercial paint.

Iconographic Meaning

Raven is one of the supernatural beings who inhabit the earth. Local groups and families trace descent among the myth people to an ancestor who received special powers and privileges from the supernatural beings. These might include songs, dances, and the right to wear particular crests.