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Island, recreated with rolls of fabric during
the Olympics ceremonies.
- Natives in B.C. - Part II: Native Prominence in the Vancouver Olympics
- Natives in B.C. - Part III: Native Land Claims and Treaties in B.C.
The Olympics opening ceremonies were stunning. There was a beautiful choreography of light, sound and projected images on the huge stage in the middle of the stadium in B.C. Place. Canadian musical stars shone. Sarah McLaughlin, whose style I'm not so crazy about, had an almost angelic voice. K.D Lang sang Leonard Cohen's "Halleluiah" with such fervor that it sounded like a desperate plea to a higher being (Lang is gay, and looks more and more like those aging, bitter lesbians). Fiddlers from Cape Breton and Newfoundland gave a Scottish and Irish flavor to the night, not to be outshone by virtuosos from Quebec.
The visual presentations were equally impressive. The Aurora Borealis of the north was recreated with amazing authenticity. The prairies materialized square mile by square mile (or so it seemed), until the whole stage was covered with undulating golden grass. Alpine skiers performed choreographed descents down the majestic Rocky Mountains, which incredibly collapsed into mere fabric at the end of the performance. Orange, red and yellow giant maple leaves engulfed the stage. And the giant Douglas-firs of the Cathedral Grove in Vancouver Island were recreated once again with rolls of fabric.
But, the focus of the evening was on the native presence. In Part II of "Natives in B.C.", I describe how the native presence was felt to the very end of the ceremonies. And in Part III, I will discuss the land claims and treaty issues that is especially active in B.C, giving a historic perspective to this unique situation.
