Adäka means “coming into the light” in the Southern Tutchone language. The Festival is committed to shining a light on the creative spirit of Yukon First Nations people, helping to preserve and revitalize our arts and culture, while inspiring artists and youth to take pride in their heritage and communities. With unique opportunities like Adäka our artists will undoubtedly continue to set new standards of quality and excellence in the arts and cultural sector!
Landing in Whitehorse for the first time, Henry Navarro Delgado arrived in the Yukon knowing nothing about the place. Delgado wanted to remain as open-minded as possible when he settled into the coveted Junction Artist in Residence (JAR) Program...more
The 2018 Adäka Cultural Festival is just around the corner! The annual multi-disciplinary arts and culture festival will be held this summer from June 29 to July 5 at its idyllic location, the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre located on Whitehorse’s...more
Tamika Knutson had not thought of carving out a career in art when she was in high school. The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in citizen grew up in Dawson and graduated from Robert Service School. After what she describes as a less-than-successful stint at an...more
Summer sun brings with it loads of visitors to the various Yukon campgrounds, especially on the long weekends. Those folks joining the campers for the Canada Day long weekend will be missing out! On July 1, Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday.more
Take some time off work – that’s the only way you’ll be able to enjoy all the programming offered by the Adäka Cultural Festival this month.
That’s the suggestion from Lynn Feasey, director of arts for Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism...more
“Artists show the world unseen,” says Tahltan First Nation artist Rhoda Merkel. “Teachers show students a better form of themselves.”
Merkel, who was raised in Whitehorse but lives in Atlin, combines both talents in her newest project, the Sam...more
The Yukon First Nation Culture and Tourism Association is looking for artists, artisans, musicians and performers from the Yukon and abroad to be part of the seventh annual Adäka Cultural Festival, which takes place at the Kwanlin Dun Cultural...more
Continuing its tradition of collaborative art projects, this year’s Adӓka Cultural Festival will bring together six northern musicians for a fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds.
the artists will get together during the festival and...more
This year the Yukon Film Society (YFS) returns to the Adäka Cultural Festival with more First Nations programming.
The collaboration between Adäka and YFS allows all the screenings to be free. Screenings run July 3 and 4 at the Kwanlin Dün...more
Yukon First Nations are planning ways to offer authentic cultural experiences for visitors.
The plan to bolster cultural tourism among the Yukon First Nations has been in the works for a while, but this week people from across the Yukon Territory...more
An ambitious pan-Northern ensemble of seasoned musicians from all three territories will make its debut in Whitehorse next week as one of the performance highlights of the fifth annual Adäka Cultural Festival.more
I heard Theo Fleury speak at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse last summer during the Adäka Cultural Festival, but hadn’t had a chance to read his autobiography, Playing With Fire, until recently. I finished it quickly.more
Sean Smith speaks with a composure and intelligence that demands to be heard. He is a member of the Daghaalhaan K’e dance group from the Kwanlin Dun First Nation, he’s been dancing for seven years, and he has participated in the Adäka Cultural...more
Juanita Growing Thunder-Fogarty lives in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in the tiny community of North San Juan, on the same property her paternal ancestors settled during the California Gold Rush of 1849. But her heart is...more
It’s her first day on the job and Chantal Rondeau is starting with a list of the Yukon’s 14 First Nations. “I cross them off when I get a piece of their clothing on the runway,” she says. The producer of the Adäka Fashion Show, the splashy finale...more
Here are the facts:
1. Theoren Fleury gave a keynote speech at the Adäka Cultural Festival on July 2.
2. Theoren Fleury was my favourite hockey player growing up; my hero.more
Florent Vollant’s first exposure to music was in his family’s cabin on a trapline in Labrador.
After a successful caribou hunt, the family would celebrate with traditional songs and dances, in the Innu tradition of the makushan, or pow wow.more
Charlene Alexander barely pauses for breath as she lists the ways the annual Adäka Cultural Festival contributes to revitalizing First Nations’ art and culture in the Yukon.more
Culture has been described as the immune system of a people, and in a world where so many distractions are coming at us on a regular basis, Yukoners can take comfort in knowing that we are home to a beautiful and thriving culture.more
On May 30 Dennis and I left a big flood behind in Ross River, and landed in Germany where many cities, towns and villages were also flooding. We are here on our annual trip to promote tourism, culture, and Yukon artists,more
