AP: “White Shame”:
The actions taken in Maskegon-Iskwew’s work are private, shocking; as audience members we are given a sense of both voyeuristic privilege and profound unease. This public enactment of suffering triggered outrage, shock and grief among members of the audience, especially those of First Nations descent. Some Aboriginal people viewed the performance as a sacrilege of the Sundance. A line was crossed in which a representational facsimile of a sacred ceremony was shown. The mechanics of the Sundance are widely known, if not understood. In the repetition of this act the artist places himself in the hands of the audience, baring himself painfully. The act is one of protest against a racist attack on elders, women and children seeking refuge. But was it sacrilegious? Or in performing this act in a secular space does Maskegon-Iskwew create a new ritual of protest?
From my essay ‘New Traditions: Post-Oka Aboriginal Performance Art in Vancouver’