Nookum: My Grandma Presented October 5th 2008 PAL Theatre (Vancouver, BC) Choreography by: Starr Muranko Performed by: Starr Muranko, Davy Bisaro, Candice Johnson and Sasha Rochon
Nookum: My Grandmahonours the personal stories and historical events of 3 generations of women from Moose Factory and Moosenee in Northern Ontario where the Moose River joins the mouth of James Bay.They are women who are members of the Moose Cree First Nation and whose stories and wisdom teachings are told through their grand-daughter’s eyes.This piece utilizes the power of mask-work while combining contemporary and traditional movement across space and time.
ARTIST STATEMENT from Starr Muranko: As an emerging dance professional of mixed-Ancestry (Cree, Métis and German) I am interested and passionate about creating work that explores the weaving of different generations, stories and cultures to reflect a contemporary experience that is grounded in the wisdom teachings of my Ancestors.This larger vision is present in all of my work and is the central focus of my current project titled “before7after.”This work will be a full-length piece that will build and expand on the ideas and stories told in Nookum: My Grandma which was created in 2008 as a result of research into the personal lives and historical context of my Cree Grandmothers from the Moose Cree First Nation in Northern Ontario.
Moosenee, ON Beadwork
Moose Factory Island, ON
Historical background:
In the summer of 2006, I embarked on a journey of a lifetime with my mother, Sharon, to travel to Moose Factory in Northern Ontario to learn more about my maternal Grandmother, our family and her community.It was a profound moment when I realized the extreme choices that she had to make after learning of her husband’s death in WWII.In order to protect her young children from returning to residential school she made the difficult decision to leave her home, her community and life as she knew it.
In the process of learning more about my Grandmother, I discovered the stories and strength of seven generations of women in my family including my Great-Grandmother Beatrice Moore (Mark) who was the daughter of Reverend Fred Mark of the St. Thomas Anglican Church and the first Chief of the Moose Cree First Nation after the signing of Treaty No. 9 in 1905.I also saw photos and read letters for the first time from my Great-Great-Grandmother Emma Rachel Moore (Morrison) who was married to Captain George Moore Sr. and who witnessed so much change in her world as a Cree woman at the turning of the 19th century.
I have chosen the medium of dance and storytelling to honour their wisdom and their lives.In the same way in which I am a part of all of them I have chosen to weave their stories with my own experience and share their wisdom through a grand-daughter’s eyes.This work was first shown in October 2008 at the PAL (Performing Arts Lodge) Theatre in Vancouver, BC and is continued to be developed and expanded to include a multi-media aspect and additional stories and experiences of 7 generations of women from Moose Factory, ON to be presented in 2009.
This work has been generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts and the Aboriginal Arts Development Awards through the BC Arts Council.
