Land Acknowledgement
Winnipeg Folk Fest takes place at Birds Hill Provincial Park, Manitoba, Canada on Treaty 1 territory and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.
The Winnipeg Folk Festival respects the Treaties that were made on this territory. In a spirit of reconciliation, we work with an Indigenous Advisory Circle and Indigenous partners to further develop relationships and opportunities to share Indigenous culture at and through our Festival and year-round activities.
Grandmother
Chickadee Richard (Benais Quimiwin Ikwe)
Thunder Rain Woman
Chickadee Richard is a member of the Sandy Bay First Nation and was raised near the west side of Lake Manitoba.
Chickadee is a mother of three biological children, two adopted sons, grandmother of seven children and grandmother to many in the Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. Chickadee has collaborated with many exceptional grassroots leaders of Indigenous communities to help make safe places for Indigenous peoples.
She is a proud anishinabaa kwe who has dedicated her life to the betterment of the land, water and Indigenous communities. For many years, she has been an advocate and educator for change and justice in Manitoba and across Canada, by creating awareness of the strength and beauty of Indigenous culture and perspectives.
Chickadee works with people that are open and willing to change the current ways which harm the land, lakes and Indigenous people’s ways of life.
Guiding Principles
- To work with members of the Indigenous community as part of our Indigenous Advisory Circle, to create an ongoing dialogue regarding programming and the sharing of Indigenous culture as it relates to the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
- To program Indigenous artists whose voices and perspectives are heard as part of the folk music and storytelling traditions at the Festival.
- To open our Festival and welcome all attendees to our Festival with a blessing from a Knowledge Keeper from the Indigenous community.
- To welcome artists from all over the world to our Festival with a traditional welcoming ceremony including prayer, song and a tribute to the land we are on.
- To bring projects from Indigenous visual artists to our Prairie Outdoor Exhibition to create interactive artistic experiences.
- To present Indigenous artisans in our Hand-Made Village where Festival attendees can interact with the artisans and purchase their hand-crafted works.
Indigenous Canada - University of Alberta
As part of our ongoing commitment to education in the area of diversity, equity and inclusion the Winnipeg Folk Festival staff completed the 12-week Indigenous Canada course provided by the University of Alberta. This online course includes lessons on the fur trade, land claims, legal systems, political conflicts, Indigenous political activism, contemporary Indigenous life and art. Indigenous Canada is a free online course that anyone can sign up for at any time through Coursera.
Do you have any comments or suggestions on how we can improve our Indigenous Initiatives?
Please contact us at info@winnipegfolkfestival.ca
You must be logged in to post a comment.