Royal Canadian Mint Celebrates Indigenous Culture With Dazzling Fancy Dance Coloured Silver Coin

MONTREAL, September 21, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

The Royal Canadian Mint has joined McGill University's First Peoples' House 17th Annual Pow Wow to unveil a vividly coloured silver collector coin celebrating the spectacular pageantry of the Fancy Dance, a modern Indigenous art form that is a powerful and captivating expression of Indigenous pride and heritage.

"This land's cultural heritage began with the art, music, dance, and traditions of Indigenous peoples, and it is exciting to see these traditions reflected in a new coin from the Royal Canadian Mint," said Marc Miller, Parliamentary Secretary for Crown-Indigenous Relations, who attended the coin's unveiling. "As we work toward meaningful reconciliation and a future where all Indigenous peoples have a real and fair chance at success, the inspiring design of the Mint's Fancy Dance coin reminds us of the importance of recognizing and celebrating Indigenous traditions."

"The Royal Canadian Mint prides itself on telling the fascinating story of Canada through coins and celebrating First Nations, Inuit and Métis cultures is fundamental to achieving that goal," said Jennifer Camelon, Interim President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. "Our beautifully coloured coin celebrating the dazzling art of the Fancy Dance is yet another opportunity for Indigenous artists from across Canada to share their talent, traditions and cultures.

The reverse image by Kanien'kehá:ka artist Garrison Garrow captures the fast-paced energy of a modern pow wow dance style: the Fancy Dance. A male dancer dominates the reverse, where finely detailed engraving adds a sense of energetic movement while an application of colour highlights the intricate nature of his regalia. From the Thunderbird of the Plains peoples to the Iroquois design on the apron, the array of motifs, textures and traditional elements (including the sacred eagle feathers) strongly evokes the pow wow's cultural importance. The obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Susanna Blunt.

Limited to a world-wide mintage of 3,500, this 2 oz. fine silver coin retails for $189.95 CAD and can be ordered as of today by directly contacting the Royal Canadian Mint at 1-800-267-1871 in Canada, 1-800-268-6468 in the US, or online at http://www.mint.ca.  It will also be available at the Royal Canadian Mint's boutiques in Ottawa and Winnipeg, at participating Canada Post outlets, and through the Mint's global network of dealers and distributors as of October 2, 2018.  

About the Royal Canadian Mint
The Royal Canadian Mint is the Crown corporation responsible for the minting and distribution of Canada's circulation coins. An ISO 9001-2008 certified company the Mint is recognized as one of the largest and most versatile mints in the world, offering a wide range of specialized, high quality coinage products and related services on an international scale. For more information on the Mint, its products and services, visit http://www.mint.ca.

Images of this coin are available at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/94toln3vsnthkpm/AACZazyH7Bdlxbso_FTnYwUma?dl=0 

Media are asked to contact: Alex Reeves, Senior Advisor, External Communications, Royal Canadian Mint, Tel: +1(613)949-5777, reeves@mint.ca