Myriam’s Dress
2014
Condolence mends communities – Understanding is the lining – Love is the thread
The story of a young Jewish-Arab Montreal family who loses a loved one and receives the condolences by a First Nations elder, who for the first time ever, performs this ritual for non-Natives.
Condolence ceremony
Francis Boots, a traditional practitioner from Akwasasne, conducted a Condolence Ceremony with Myriam’s family and friends at Centennial Park, Dollard des Ormeaux. Attendance at the private ceremony was by invitation only.
All were invited to bring an object(s) of personal importance to donate to the dress-making, objects that tell a story of immigration, migration and/or personal identification. All of the Native Immigrant dresses were be exhibited at Echeverría Studio on these three days, where five of the project’s participating artists—Janet Lumb, musician; Susan Scott, writer; Emilie Monnet, performer; Amrita Choudhury, choreographer/dancer; and Saulo Cruz de Oliveira, musician/composer (Chile)—join Echeverría in connecting with participants’ stories.
