Meet Luana Moar: Sister to her community, Dancing Rainbow, culture caretaker

This is one of nine profiles on outstanding Manitoba women in honour of International Women's Day. The CBC Creator Network project was written by Carmen Ponto and illustrated by artist Joanna Turner.Some answers have been edited for space and clarity.

Given the name Dancing Rainbow, Luana Moar, 21, considers herself a sister to her community. From the Eagle Clan and the Guarani people in Brazil, she facilitates cultural programming as an independent contractor. Moar believes community wellness begins at the individual level.

What does it mean to be a woman in 2023?

For me, being a woman today is reclaiming the power and teachings of our ancestors, in community with other women. This was taken away from so many Indigenous women, some of whom aren't much older than me.

We owe it to the world to be our best selves so that we can be a healthy collective.- Luana Moar

It means taking the time to be gentle with ourselves, and bringing our resilience back to our community.We owe it to the world to be our best selves so that we can be a healthy collective.

I'm very proud of my identity as a young Indigenous woman. I will always have gratitude for that.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

I gave a TEDx talk at 18, and studied in the Arctic for two weeks when I was younger.

But the thing I'm most proud of is continuing my sixth year with sundancing.Sundancing is an ancient ceremony with many ceremonies within it, and some of these are very intense.

Part of the ceremony is to go without food and water, as a way of acknowledging the sustenance Mother Earth provides. Another part is to dance. We step with every beat of the drum, from sunrise to sunset.

When I go without food and water at sundance and I'm praying for the community, it's where I feel the most alive. It's just the most powerful place to go and humble yourself every year.

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