The Adäka Cultural Festival … celebrating our diverse First Nations arts and culture
The 2020 Adäka Cultural Festival at its idyllic location, the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre located on Whitehorse’s beautiful waterfront.
Southern Tutchone
The Southern Tutchone are a First Nations people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethnolinguistic group living mainly in the southern Yukon. Southern Tutchone First Nations governments and communities include:
Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (Haines
Learning her Mom’s Language
“Dänch’á Éh ma,” I begin the conversation with my mother in a standard Southern Tutchone greeting, uncertain and nervous about my speaking abilities. “Éyigē shrō kwäthän,” she replies. “My feelings are very good.” We are closing a generational gap that transpired in the last century in Northwestern Canada, as colonization took hold in the territories. …
One Foot in a Moccasin, and One in a Sneaker
Marissa Mills, Kluane First Nation, example of what First Nations youth can achieve if they stay true to who they are as Indigenous people.
A Testament to the Disappearances of Aboriginal Women
International Women’s Day is Saturday, March 8, it’s a day to pause and consider women’s health, dreams, and safety — worldwide, and in Canada. It’s a perfect time to see The Hours that Remain, a play by Ontario Métis artist Keith Barker. The play explores the love, loss, and grief for families and communities surrounding …
A Testament to the Disappearances of Aboriginal Women Read More »
Pain, Compassion, and Hope: Diyet releases second album When You Were King
“Wake up from your slumber sleeping beast. It’s time breathe again, it’s time to see again. You were born, you were born to be the greatest of all… It’s time to roar, like you did when you were king.” These are some of the lyrics from the title track of Diyet‘s new album, When You …
Pain, Compassion, and Hope: Diyet releases second album When You Were King Read More »
Kennedys: Making Waves and Making Headlines
The wild beauty of the Yukon is the décor of our daily lives. But when famous types make a special trip to the Yukon, it’s a reminder that this is a special place. We will soon have a Kennedy in our midst, and it’ll be the second visit from the Kennedy family in nearly 50 …
The Adäka Cultural Festival Aims to Include Everyone
2013 Adäka Cultural Festival: 28 performance groups, 44 visual artists and 50 workshops over 6 days at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre.
Kluane “Rat” Camp
I was told the action was in the kitchen shelter. As I walked towards the building, I immediately raised my camera to take a picture of a youngster playing caribou by holding a pair of icicles to her head like antlers. No sooner was the picture taken when Samara, a very outgoing three-year-old grabbed my …
Keeping His Culture Strong
Daniel Tlen sang our national anthem at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. The event was viewed by one of the largest television audiences ever assembled. “There were some estimates that two-billion people were watching,” says Tlen, though he admits he is a little skeptical of that figure. Tlen’s performance of …
Tots Telling Tales
The First Nations tradition of passing stories down from generation to generation is alive and well at Grey Mountain Primary School. This week, the school will host its sixth annual Thai’ May Dhäl (Southern Tuchone for “Grey Mountain”) Storytelling Festival. The 70 students from kindergarten to Grade 3 will repeat the performance for the general …
The Art of Reclamation
Amber Walker’s fourth solo exhibition bears the title Reclamation—a word that has several meanings for the 27-year-old Whitehorse artist. In part, Walker says, it is about reclaiming the Aztec side of her heritage, something she knew nothing about as a child. “I’d always ask, ‘Why am I so dark?’ and my Mom would say, ‘Well, …
Southern Tutchone Lives In Song
The Southern Tutchone language CD, entitled Dakwanjenaats u al, has a purpose: The English translation is “Let’s Pick Up Our Language Again”.