From the Kwantlen First Nation village of Squa’lets comes the tale of Th’owxiya, an old and powerful spirit that inhabits a tempting feast dish, full of beautiful foods from around the world. But even surrounded by this delicious food, Th’owxiya herself craves only the taste of children. When she catches a hungry mouse named Kw’at’el stealing a piece of cheese from her dish, she threatens to devour Kw’at’el’s whole family, unless he can bring Th’owxiya two child spirits. Ignorant but desperate, Kw’at’el sets out on an epic journey to fulfill the spirit’s demands. With the help of Sqeweqs (a raven), two Spa:th (two bears) and Sasq’ets (a sasquatch), Kw’at’el endeavours to find gifts that would appease Th’owxiya and save his family. Like “Hansel and Gretel” and the northwest First Nations stories about the Wild Woman of the Woods, TH’OWXIYA is a tale of understanding boundaries, taking responsibility for one’s actions, forgiving mistakes and finding the courage to stand up for what’s right. The play integrates masks, song, and dance and features a diverse cast of characters of woodland creatures and spirits. Show is appropriate for ages 4 - 104+! Running time is 58 minutes.

Kwantlen playwright, poet, and storyteller, Joseph A. Dandurand wrote the script Th'owxiya: the Hungry Feast Dish. He was also our Silversides Theatre Artist Talk Speaker this term at Waterloo. We we're so fortunate to hear his stories and receive his guidance in the early stages of our production. Joseph is a member of the Kwantlen First Nation, located on the Fraser River about twenty minutes east of Vancouver, BC. He resides there with his three children. Dandurand is the director of the Kwantlen Cultural Centre and the author of several children’s stories and books of poetry including The East Side of It All (Nightwood Editions 2020), which was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize. In 2021, Dandurand received the BC Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence. You can read some of his poems online or you could support him by purchasing one of his books. You can also buy the script of Th'owxiya if you'd like to a keep a copy for yourself!

Yes, UWaterloo has a theatre program! The Theatre and Performance Program (THPERF) is offered by the Department of Communication Arts, under the Faculty of Arts. Students may pursue a Major or Minor, or take THPERF courses as electives in their time at UWaterloo. All students working on the department’s mainstage productions are enrolled in production courses as actors, creatives, production team, crewmembers, or dramaturgs. Learn more here.

The Haldimand Tract was promised to the Six Nations by the British on October 25th, 1784 after siding with them during the American Revolution as a way to honour the lives and land they had lost during a conflict that was not their own. The Haldimand tract was meant to span 950 000 acres of prime land around the Grand River, but the land currently allotted to them makes up less than 50 000 acres. Before this promise, the land was the home of the Mississauga, Haudenosaunee, Attiwonderonk, and Anishinaabe people, to whom colonists brought diseases that killed upwards of 90% of populations that had no way to combat the foreign illnesses. People were torn from their families, torn from their languages, and torn from their cultures; placed into too-small allotments of land that were unwanted and sometimes uninhabitable. The promise given to the Six Nations was kept for only 14 years, until around 1798 when settlers began taking land and building on what was not their land to take. Since then, the promised allotment of land has gotten smaller and smaller, and the heart of the urban sprawl of Kitchener and Waterloo lies directly in its centre. The area that remains in the possession of the Six nations is easily visible on a map South-East of Brantford, as the forests that once coated the entirety of Ontario continue to grow, creating a square of dark green with clearly defined borders of roads and farmland. This topic is not a comfortable one to talk about, but sitting in spaces of discomfort is exactly what we need to do in order to make progress. If you would like further reading on this subject, consider taking a look at the Land Rights document which was created by the Six Nations and looks both at the history of the Haldimand Tract, and also towards future solutions.

The Kwantlen nation was one of the largest located within the Fraser Valley in the mid-19th century, but “waves of smallpox, decimated the Kwantlen population,” and now currently hold a registered population of 406 people as of June 2024 (source 1, source 2, source 3) The Kwantlen people’s traditional territory “extends from Richmond and New Westminster in the west, to Surrey and Langley in the south, east to Mission, and to the northernmost reaches of Stave Lake.” (source) But the Kwantlen currently occupy a fraction of their traditional territory in Fort Langley directly neighbouring the Fraser Valley River. The Kwantlen, who are ethnically Stó:lō - (stah-lo), speak the language hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, “known as a Down River dialect of Halkomelem, under the Salishan language category” (Source 1, Source 2). Kwantlen means tireless runner (source)! Common associations with Kwantlen Culture are: Cedar. As this tree grows within their forest and are used to create traditional hats and baskets among other uses (source). Salmon. As they live on the coast, salmon, among other fish such as sturgeon, are the most commonly caught when fishing their waters. Within Kwantlen knowledge there is a story of how the fish came to their waters; “Three brothers battle with the sun—or Seaquam—to bring the salmon to their shores, but not without difficulty” (source). Learn about the Kwantlen First Salmon Ceremony and more here!: https://www.thelastsalmonrun.ca/ As of recent, The Kwantlen, alongside Katzie and Semiahmoo Nations, are calling for a portion of the unceded (stolen) lands in the area now called Surrey, to be returned to the three nations. Learn more and support this cause here: https://katzie.ca/kks/