On April 15, to celebrate the opening of Arctic Highways — Unbounded Indigenous People, join us for a special performance and film event! At 1 PM, Greenlandic dancer Elisabeth Heilmann Blind will perform ”UaaJeerneq – the Greenlandic Mask Dance,” the oldest dramatic expression among the Inuits in Greenland. At 2 PM, following a brief intermission, we will hold a screening of the film Historjá – Stitches For Sápmi (dir. Thomas Jackson, Sweden, 2022), which depicts artist Britta Marakatt-Labba’s battle for her culture against the threats of climate change. The film will be followed by a music performance by Sámi Yoiker Lars-Henrik Blind; and at 3:30 PM, the event will conclude with a panel discussion with Britta Marakatt-Labba, Thomas Jackson, and Elisabeth Heilmann Blind.
‘Uaajeerneq’ – the Greenlandic Mask Dance has been approximately alive for around 3,000 to 4,000 years. In the beginning, the Mask Dance was mainly used for fertility rituals, but as time passed it merged with shamanic seances and was welcomed as a relief from the dark winter months. The Mask Dance contains three dimensions and three elements: the dancer eliminates the self as much as possible by changing and deforming their face and body (with make-up, stick and string) to reach the spirit level, where the borders between human being and animal, female and male evaporate. The performance is divided into two parts, beginning before the audience where Heilmann Blind transforms herself into a Mask Dancer while telling the history of the tradition.
For decades, artist Britta Marakatt-Labba has depicted the indigenous Sámi people’s mythology, their relationship with nature, and their political struggles, as seen in her work *Historjá*, a 24-metre-long embroidery featuring motifs from Sámi history. With small stitches, Marakatt-Labba evokes the history and mythology of the Sámi people, as well as tales of colonialism, state-sponsored racism, and political strife. After protesting her people’s rights through art for decades, she now faces another struggle: the fight against climate change. After generations of family reindeer herding, will her son be able to carry on the family tradition? “Nature truly comes alive in this stunningly beautiful story about the Sámi worldview and mythology” (Business Doc Europe); Watch trailer.
Following the film, Sámi yoiker Lars-Henrik Blind will perform. Reindeer herder, yoiker and narrator Lars Henrik Blind has been actively involved in Sámi culture for over 40 years. He first began as a young yoiker, touring with prominent yoikers both in Sweden and internationally. Lars Henrik has participated in numerous cultural projects over the years, including work with the Sami Theatre in Kiruna. He has also toured the Nordic countries as a narrator and has been involved in a number of different film productions.
Britta Marakatt-Labba, Thomas Jackson and Elisabeth Heilmann Blind will then hold a panel discussion moderated by Tomas Colbengston.
On display at Scandinavia House until 22 July 2023, Arctic Highways — Unbounded Indigenous People brings together the artwork and handicrafts of 12 Indigenous artists from Sápmi, Canada and Alaska in an exhibition highlighting the thriving cultural and spiritual communities of the Arctic region; the gallery will be open for viewing concurrently from 12-6 PM. Find out more here.
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VISIT THE VIRTUAL EXHIBITION HERE →
SCANDINAVIA HOUSE, 58 PARK AVENUE, NEW YORK, NY 10016
WEB: www.scandinaviahouse.org
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