March 2011 Edition What is Planet IndigenUs?

“We are all from somewhere, a place on this earth f rom where we trace our ancestors. Indigenous people trace ancestry back t hrough time immemorial to places of origin; places where they are rooted; and places that brought forth a

unique culture, language, spiritual framework and e nvironment.” Planet IndigenUs is About Us

Mira Coviensky, Artistic Associate, visits AWME in Australia

Mira Coviensky Artistic Associate, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.

AWME is the Australia-Pacific region’s

premiere music industry conference and

showcase of Indigenous, roots and world

music. I had the wonderful opportunity to

attend in November. The programme was

held in Melbourne, Australia, which is a

beautiful city. The performances were

outstanding! There were way too many

performers to list them all in this article, but

here are a few. New Zealand musicians

were well-represented. WAI presented new music out of ancient Maori roots, traditions

and language in the soul/folk genre. Poi Piripi Kapa Haka Group joined by Kulkal Baba

Saibai Island Dance Group performed traditional Maori dances. Nga Tae fused Maori

traditional music with electronica. King Kapisi presented a high-energy hip hop fusion

performance. Bella Kalolo sang bittersweet melodies, and Maisey Rika sang in a fusion of

English and Maori lyrics. And this was not even the whole New Zealand contingent.

Australia’s Indigenous community was also well-represented. Frank Yamma, one of

Australia’s most important Indigenous songwriters, gave an intense performance of his

songs. Dan Sultan delivered his dynamic mix of blues, soul, rock and country. King

Kadu’s sound incorporated Merian music of Torres Strait, traditional instruments and

contemporary influences. Street Warriors are well-respected pioneers of Indigenous

hip hop and performed with their unique energy. And there were more…I was also able to

hear artists speak at different presentations. The presentations provided a context and a

deeper understanding of the music. Artists, producers, arts council representatives and

other industry personnel spoke of the challenges for Indigenous artists in the past and the

present – reaching across the huge distances in Australia, giving back to the community,

avoiding being pigeonholed to a side-stage event, maintaining integrity and respecting

traditions while performing. The successes were also noted – developing a unique Pacific

reggae style, learning how to make the music industry system work in the artists’ favour,

and producing successful events like Sand Tracks (a remote Indigenous contemporary

music tour).

Rhoda Roberts, former Director of the Dreaming and current Festival Director of the

Garma Festival, and Sam Cook, Artistic Director of The Dreaming Festival, were

generous in sharing their knowledge and experiences with me, as was Mark Smith,

Manager of Music NT, Mark Grose of Skinnyfish Music, and other festival directors and

industry people involved in Indigenous arts. The enthusiasm of the people I met

with about Planet IndigenUs Festival 2012 was exciting. This included those who were

instrumental in the success of Planet IndigenUs 2009, such as representatives from the

Australia Council for the Arts/Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board and from

Creative New Zealand/ Maori Arts Board. I was also able to discuss Planet IndigenUs

with those less familiar with the festival, such as representatives from the different state

arts councils and the city of Melbourne, as well as other festival directors, and received an

equally enthusiastic response. I left Australia totally inspired by the passion and

commitment displayed at AWME!

For more information about AWME visit www.awme.com.au.

Dave Jones Wins Education Award at the 2010 Dream C atcher

Foundation Awards Gala in Hamilton, Ont.

The Dreamcatcher Awards gives

recognition and appreciation to Aboriginal

people who empower, inspire and educate

all people and improve the quality of life

within the community as well as sharing

hopes and making dreams come true.

There are six categories and Dave Jones

won the Education Award on October 21,

2010. Thousands and thousands of Dave Jones

applications came from all over the country, and we here at Turtle Concepts feel very

proud that Dave received this award. Dave Jaegar Jones, a member of the Garden River

Ojibway First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been an inspiration to thousands of

Aboriginal people, particularly the youth. A former school teacher who had taught in

remote communities, Dave is founder and owner of the Turtle Concepts confidence-

building youth workshops phenomenon.

Presently an entrepreneur, researcher and motivational speaker much in demand,

world wide, Dave strongly believes in traditional Aboriginal teachings, adding a

contemporary twist to them in his sessions. He speaks of how "education is more than a

key or a ticket, it is a lifestyle. We are continually learning everyday from conception". He

thinks it has become abnormal to defend positive, healthy choices, and feels it is time to

restore confidence in all cultures around the world.

For more information about the Dream Catcher Foundation, visit www.dcfund.ca.

For more information about Turtle Concepts, visit www.turtleconcepts.com.

Debajehmujig Theatre Group from beautiful Manitouli n Island,

Ont.

A Debajemujig theatre group performance.

Debajehmujig translates as “storytellers”

from the Cree and Ojibway languages and

is a professional community-based non-

profit organization dedicated to the

vitalization of the Anishinaabeg culture,

language and heritage, through education

and the sharing of original creative

expression with Native and Non-Native

people. Debajehmujig Theatre Group

was founded by Shirley Cheechoo, Blake Debassige and a group of like minded colleagues in the summer of 1984 in West

Bay, (M’Chigeeng First Nation) Manitoulin Island, Ont. The company was established so

that Aboriginal youth would see their own lives and their own stories reflected on stage.

Debajehmujig was incorporated under Provincial Charter on September 26, 1986, and in

August of 1989, moved to Wikemikong Unceded Indian Reserve where it remains to this

day, with head office on Debajehmujig Lane, down the hill from the performing venue –

the Holy Cross Mission Ruins.

Debajehmujig was the first, and remains the

only, professional theatre company located

on a First Nation Reserve. On May 21,

2009, in the 25th year of operation, the

company expanded with the opening of the

Debajehmujig Creation Centre in the

neighbouring community of Manitowaning-

a 15,000 square-foot multi-disciplinary

creation, production and training centre. Debajehmujig’s Theatre Group includes

Executive Director/Artistic Producer Ron Berti, Artistic Director – School Bruce

Naokwegijig, Artistic Director – Theatre Joe Osawabine, Cultural Community Liaison

Audrey Wemigwans, and many more artistic and talented cast members. Planet

IndigenUs has been grateful for Debajehmujig hosting Planet IndigenUs interns including

Janis Monture; Executive Director, Woodland Cultural Centre, Lisa Odjig; Programme

Associate and Candice Jacko; Planet IndigenUs Adminstrative Coordinator of

Harbourfront Centre, Toronto. For more information visit: www.debaj.ca.

Harbourfront Centre and Planet IndigenUs Welcome Aa ron

Sykes, Artistic Associate

Aaron Sykes majored in English and

Aboriginal Studies with a minor in Political

Science at the University of Toronto.

Originally from Tyendinaga Mohawk

Territory, Aaron now works in the Toronto

arts industry with a focus on programming

arts administration. Aaron has travelled with

the imagineNATIVE Northern Ontario Tour

in the 2009 & 2010 seasons. Currently, he

is Artistic Associate with Harbourfront

Centre, Toronto, working with the Planet

IndigenUs festival and initiatives.

Aaron Sykes, Artistic Associate, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto.

“A people without a history is like the wind over b uffalo grass”.

- Sioux

Viewpoints Aboriginal Women in the Arts: Using Art to Reclaim Traditional

Roles, March 30th, 2011, 7:00pm-9:00pm, Studio Thea tre, Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

This evening will showcase a mixture of art forms including: a reading by author Lee

Maracle, musical performance by Cheryl L’Hirondelle, and a film screening by director

Terril Calder. Following these three performances a panel discussion will take place with

moderator Candace Maracle, author and journalist. This show exhibits three unique and

game-changing women. The panel will address the challenges and triumphs these artists

have faced; their connection with their communities, and what they see for the future in

aboriginal arts and the arts in general.

Planet IndigenUs Photo Project:

“In Our Eyes” is a photo/audio mentoring and public awareness project taking place

during the UN’s International Year of the Youth (August 2010-August 2011). Aboriginal

youth, both on-reserve and urban, will be mentored in their communities by one or more

Aboriginal photographers in basic photographic history, theory, techniques and

equipment. Throughout the project, the participating youth will be taught the role of

photography in storytelling and social change. Participants will be provided digital

cameras and asked to explore several themes over 24 to 48 hours. Planet IndigenUs is

pleased to announce their partnership with Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship

Centres, Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and the Chiefs of Ontario Youth Council, and

participating communities and community organizations.

Artist-in-Residency (AIR Project)

March 22, 29, 2011 and April 7, 2011 The Artist-in-Residency programme is a project of the School Visits unit of the Community

and Educational Programming Department at Harbourfront Centre. This upcoming

March, School Visits is excited to offer students the opportunity to work with a critically

acclaimed professional dancer and choreographer, Santee Smith, of Kaha:wi Dance

Theatre. Santee holds a Masters Degree in Dance from York University and has spent

much of her life committed to dance and

creative expression. She has attended

the National Ballet School as well as

McMaster University. She has created,

produced, and toured her work both

nationally and internationally. Santee has

extensive guest teaching experience.

In addition, she has facilitated numerous

dance workshops. This year the Kawartha

Pine Ridge District School Board’s Clarington Central Secondary School is excited to be a

part of the AIR project. Sheelah Brower, teacher for Grades 11 & 12 dance, will be

bringing between 25-35 students. Santee will offer the students first hand experiences

sharing her knowledge as a professional dancer. Santee will help to guide the students

through the process of work shopping and completing a dance piece. Students will gain

valuable insight into the process of dance as a profession, increase their dance

vocabulary as well as learn dance technique from a unique aboriginal framework. The

School Visits departments of Community and Educational Programming here at

Harbourfront Centre as well as Clarington Secondary School’s Sheelah Brower are

excited about this enriching opportunity.

“Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not re member. Involve me, and

I'll understand”. – Nez Perce

Native Leaders From New Zealand and Ontario Meet fo r the

Opening of Whales | Tohor ā at the Ontario Science Centre

Whales/Tohorā Māori Opening Ceremony. Photo Credit: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto

At dawn on the morning of November 3,

2010, media and select guests were

invited by the Ontario Science Centre to

attend a time-honoured Māori ceremony

led by Elders from New Zealand. The

event was held to bless the opening of the

exhibition Whales/Tohorā on loan from the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa

Tongarewa until March 20, 2011. The Māori, New Zealand’s Indigenous population, are the guardians of the whales and whale

artifacts. Te Papa always seeks permission from all peoples who have associations with

the objects to get their support for taking them on tour. During the early morning

ceremony, the Māori Elders acknowledged the relationship of the iwi (tribes) who have

supported the exhibition and offer prayers for guardianship. Chief Bryan LaForme of the

Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation was symbolically entrusted with the care of

the exhibition. Along with Chief LaForme, Felicity Buchanan, New Zealand Deputy High

Commissioner, Michelle Hippolite, Kaihautu (co-leader), Museum of New Zealand Te

Papa Tongarewa, Lesley Lewis, CEO, Ontario Science Centre and Laura Albanese, MPP

and Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministry of Culture were among those who part in the

ceremony and blessing. The Māori have many legends about whales, and whale riders,

which are illustrated in the exhibition through images and animated videos. Stranded

whales or whales near shore were near shore were sometimes seen as an indicator of a

good place for tribes to settle, or an omen of

a fallen chief. Whale bones and teeth were

cherished as treasures. Māori sometimes

marked significant events and stories about

whales by naming islands and land forms

after them. Objects in this 750-square-metre

exhibition include rare specimens from the

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa

Tongarewa’s whale collection, one of the

Lesley Lewis, CEO, Ontario Science Centre welcomes Whales/Tohorā and honoured guests from New Zealand.

largest in the world. In addition to the science and biology of whales, Whales/Tohorā

explores the cultural and historical significance of these creatures to the Māori and

Pakeha (non-Māori) cultures of New Zealand and other Pacific island nations. Early

whaling provided many trading opportunities between cultures in this region, illustrated in

the exhibition by harpoons, scrimshaw (whale tooth carvings) and other taonga

(treasures). Two enormous, fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons, life-sized

reproductions and a crawl-through model of a blue whale heart are among the highlights

Lengendary whale riders of New Zealand – Whales/Tohorā. Photo Credit: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto

of the breathtaking new exhibition. The

blessing concluded with speeches and

hongi (pressing of noses), between the

Elders, Chief LaForme and other special

guests. The hongi is a customary Māori

greeting in New Zealand, comparable to a

formal handshake in Western culture.

Through the exchange of this special

greeting, one is no longer deemed a visitor,

but rather one of the people of the land.

Chief Brian LaForme, Mississauga’s of the New Credit First Nation receives a hongi, a customary Māori greeting of New Zealand.

Public viewing of Whales/Tohorā exhibit. Photo Credit: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto.

Māori ceremony and blessing. Photo Credit: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto.

Two enormous, fully-articulated sperm whale skeletons. Photo Credit: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto.

Whales/Tohorā exhibit. Photo Credit: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto.

Whales/Tohorā exhibit. Photo Credit: Ontario Science Centre, Toronto.

Chiefs of Ontario Support for Planet IndigenUs Init iative

Since 2004, the Planet IndigenUs event

has successfully brought together the

voices, stories and cultures of Indigenous

people that are largely absent from the

Canadian narrative. This effort has

resulted in a vibrant and vital showcase of

Indigenous culture, built public awareness,

and fostered cross-cultural dialogue about

Indigenous people in Canada and beyond, demonstrating the wealth of talent of

Indigenous artists. The Planet IndigenUs festival is making efforts to expand its relations

with mainstream and Indigenous organizations at local, regional, national and

international levels.

Therefore be it resolved that we, The Chiefs in Assembly support the Planet IndigenUs

initiative in its continued effort to build relations with Indigenous people around the world.

Angus Toulouse, Ontario Regional Chief

Thank you Harbourfront Centre Sponsors: