Virago Nation is an all-Indigenous burlesque collective that seeks to reclaim Indigenous sexuality from the toxic effects of colonization by representing positive, diverse expressions of Indigenous sexuality on stage and through a variety of outreach programs and workshops.

Through a series of public events — including performances, workshops, teach-ins, and academic talks — “Medicine in Our Very Bones”: Gender, Sexuality and Embodied Resistance in Indigenous Burlesque will engage the knowledge embedded in Indigenous burlesque to build relationships between communities, foster awareness of historical and ongoing colonization, and promote Indigenous peoples’ sovereign rights to their own bodies, sexualities, and gender identities. In addition to public events, this year-long SSHRC-funded initiative will include the production of a short documentary in partnership with K-Docs, and the publication of scholarly and non-scholarly articles.