While I was reading these documents on dance houses all I could think about was the modern bar. Let’s take Kamloops’ very own Cactus Jacks (CJ’s). A dingy bar with loud music, bright lights, and a multitude of drunk people of every ethnicity. What are the reasons for going to a place like this? Other than a place to dance and see friends while you’re intoxicated I would say the next reason is to find a guy/girl to go home with for the night. The way girls are dressed and the way they all dance together on the dance floor can only be worse than it was at dance houses.
This connection when I first thought about it made me laugh because I had no idea dance houses were a thing and to think the modern bar is so similar to what it was during the Gold Rush proves that aspects of history still live on today. I also started to think how all the things that happen in bars today are normal because not just Indigenous women are taking part, but all cultures; when back in the late 1850’s they wanted to close them all because the atmosphere and actions happening within were not standard acts of white women. Now a majority of people who go to bars are indeed white women.
A thought I still need to ponder is whether Indigenous influence over the normality of dance houses/CJ’s is a good thing…?
Would there still be bars today if the Victorians actually decided to get rid of dance houses?
