The Need for Decolonizing Burlesque

Happy belated Indigenous People's Day!!

A couple of days ago, I was celebrating Indigenous culture and resilience at the Indigenous People's Day celebration at Royal Roads University. Getting to connect with other Indigenous people, buying more art and jewellery than I have space for, and witnessing culture unfold through dance, ceremony, and canoe races... this is what I love about Indigenous People's day. Though I've become a bit of a hermit the last couple of years, I love being in community. I love just existing for a day to celebrate and connect. It's a break from the work I do in my day job and the constant news against Indigenous Peoples.

I'm Indigenous whether my acts are political or not. My very existence is already political. The fact that I exist as a Tahltan person when the Canadian government tried to erase my people through colonization is a testament to my ancestors who fought and advocated for their lives and Rights. We each have a voice for a reason, and this month I'm choosing to use my voice to uplift the Indigenous performers of Turtle Island and the world. Unlike the other posts from the Reclaiming Burlesque series, this one is a bit more personal. Rather than expanding the awareness to Indigenous burlesque history as a whole, I want to focus on what I see within community. These are my own thoughts, and other Indigenous people may or may not agree and I invite them to share any additional thoughts or insights they may have.

Everyone lives and performs on stolen land. And though there is a growing awareness of colonization and the need for repair, as an industry, burlesque has lots of room for growth. This is not a call out. Instead, I am calling on our industry to grow in how we collectively show up for Indigenous performers and people, even outside of burlesque. So often I see producers and institutions like the Burlesque Hall of Fame and BurlyCon speak on the importance of recognizing days of significance such as Black History Month, Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and Latinx Heritage Month while also acknowledging how to be allies to those communities. But for some reason, Indigenous History month is talked about a lot less within the industry. For the producers and individuals who do so, they bring humbleness and value to the work, and we need more to follow the path. Many Indigenous Nations are still working on relcaiming and revitalizing their languages, traditions, and cultures while we also see governments continue to lean into Residential School Denialism and advocate for the removal of the Rights that our people fought for. Colonization is not left behind in the past, it is still a present reality that affects Indigenous Peoples. In an industry that prides itself on human rights advocacy and inclusion, Indigenous history and realities still feel invisible at times. And that's intentional: maybe not intentional within burlesque, but through government policies and practices, it is reflected in burlesque.

Looking back only a few years, culture was not only "included" but was fully intentionally embraced and highlighted at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in 2023, a year when LouLou la Duchesse Derriere was on the BHOF production team. To date, that year was one of my favourites BECAUSE of how much culture was onstage in different forms - not only Indigenous culture, but many diverse cultures. And as with every year after BHOF, there is always some sort of controversy as people's views continue to change on what should and shouldn't be on the stage. That year, the controversy was that there was "too much culture, not enough burlesque." But people forget, burlesque is culture, and one that was formed by many people of colour from across the globe. Culture deserves to be embraced and celebrated, not merely included as a tokenized experience. We would not have the majority of the burlesque staples we see today, if it were not for people from other cultures.

And it's essential that we honour both our Legends and our present performers who are still continuing that work. I have also heard many opinions from Indigenous performers that our art is always Indigenous art, whether it leans into traditional culture or not. So often when Indigenous performers are invited to perform, we are intentionally asked for our "cultural" or political acts, but less often for the classic or neo acts. In the wise words of Sparkle Plenty, if someone is Indigenous making art, then it's Indigenous art. And I understand the reason for the interest in wanting the acts that scream "Indigenous". If we want to see more understanding of Indigenous cultures, it needs to be visible. There is also so much power in seeing someone embrace their ancestors and their culture onstage, it is inspiring - for both allies and other Indigenous people in the audience who may not see themselves reflected onstage. Similarly, burlesque started as a political artform, and it continues to be defined as such. Sharing truth and being vocal onstage is powerful. But that cannot come at the price of ignoring the other parts of ourselves. We are more than tradition, and we each have our own interests and styles outside of it. As well, for those of us who do create acts inspired by our people and cultures, many of us tend to be very particular with which spaces are appropriate for those acts. When I am invited to perform my Nature's Resistance act, a political act that highlights the effects of resource extraction on Indigenous Peoples AND our resilience, I reflect on whether the act will be respected. I need to intentionally take time backstage to ground myself before I perform, both before and afterwards.

So how do we move forward together?

There are so many Indigenous people leading the way for others to follow. Bella sin teaches Decolonizing Burlesque History, I teach how to produce through a decolonial lens, Scarlett Hummingbird used to teach workshops on how to give appropriate land acknowledgements within burlesque. Performers and troupes like Virago Nation, Fanny LuPhine, Mother Girth and draglesque performer Riel Deadly work directly with Indigenous Nations and people who want to perform or reclaim their own sexuality in whatever form onstage. Many of us also work within Indigenous organizations or communities as part of our day jobs. We need people in all areas... the people on the front lines, the ones in community, the ones educating allies. And we equally need allies in all areas standing beside us. The easiest place to start is often to go to the people doing the work and ask how you can support.

Indigenous-Centred Days to Know

One of the smallest steps someone can take, which is still a step, is recognizing the days of significance for Indigenous Peoples and using them as a jumping off point.

• January 4 - National Ribbon Skirt Day (Canada)

• February 11 - Moosehide Campaign Day (Canada)

• May 5 - Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2-Spirit Peoples (MMIWG2S)

• June - Indigenous History Month (Canada)

• June 21 - National Indigenous People's Day (Canada)

• August 9 - International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

• September 30 - Orange Shirt Day (Canada)

• October 4 - National Day of Action for MMIWG2S

• November - National Native American Heritage Month (U.S.)

• November 2 - National Inuit Day

• November 8 - Indigenous Veteran's Day

• November 16 - Louis Riel Day

• December 1 - 7 Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week

Ways to Show Up for Indigenous Peoples in Burlesque

I will have more posts in the future that speak to specific areas and ways that people within burlesque can show up alongside Indigenous Peoples. But for now, here are some basics to build on.

• RECOGNIZE the unique diversity between Indigenous cultures, languages, and traditions

• DONATE to Indigenous non-for-profits, businesses, and creators

• HIRE and recommend Indigenous performers to producers

• LEARN about the history of colonization and the lands you live on and your own ancestors' role in it

• KNOW the Indigenous nations who you live amongst. Learn how to pronounce their names and learn about their culture

• SHOW UP to public Indigenous protests, memorials, celebrations and days of significance

• TALK about our existence and history. Indigenous people are not a memory of the past, and neither is colonization. We still exist and people still try to continue to colonize us

• UNDERSTAND the various documents, reports and calls to action that are essential to Indigenous Rights such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), The Truth & Reconciliation Commission's 94 calls to action, Reclaiming Power & Place: The National Inquiry into MMIWG. These are some of the most significant reports that have led the way for many more to exist

• ADVOCATE to your local governments to follow the calls to action and uphold the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

• STOP using colloquialisms such as "let's have a Powwwow" or "Low man on the totem pole"

• REMOVE songs like "Fever" from your performances and stages, a song that inappropriately mentions Pocahontas and John Smith

• HIRE Indigenous consultants to help decolonize your productions and remove barriers for Indigenous people

  
  

Some of these points may not feel specific to burlesque, but allyship must exist beyond the stage. We are Indigenous in our performance onstage, and we are still Indigenous when we go home after a show. Like many people of colour, we live multi-faceted lives that hold both the joy and beauty of our communities and the hard realities. I dream of the day when Indigenous history and performers in burlesque are just as easily discovered as everyone else. There are so many of us, many more than the small handful who tend to be seen through the Burlesque Top 50 and Burlesque Hall of Fame. It will take time, but I see the people doing the work that needs to be done. And the more hands that share in the work, the lighter the load will become for those carrying it.