A Celebration of Aboriginal Art, Culture, Community, and History

Jun 14, 2010

A Celebration of Aboriginal Art, Culture, Community, and History

This post has not been approved by Media Co-op editors!

Urban Aboriginals make up one of the fastest growing populations in Canada. As this population grows, so do the struggles they face in our city centers. Statistics Canada data shows that urban Aboriginals have average income levels 36% lower and unemployment rates 21% higher than the urban non-Aboriginal population. While it's true that this population suffers an acute degree of discrimination and hardship, the vibrant and supportive Aboriginal community that does exist in Montreal must be acknowledged. The Native Friendship Center of Montreal hopes to do just that, and wishes to include greater Montreal in the celebration.

This Thursday, June 17th, CKUT Radio will join the Native Friendship Centre of Montreal in the second annual “Voices of Our Nations” radio-a-thon, in honor of National Aboriginal Day. This eight-hour broadcast - live from the Native Friendship Center (2001 St-Laurent) as well as from CKUT station (3647 University) – will highlight Aboriginal culture and history, through story-telling, live performances, art and interviews.

In conjunction with the First People's House of McGill University and the Missing Justice Collective of the 2110 Center for Gender Advocacy, this broadcast will celebrate Aboriginal identity and address important issues of land rights, resources, and missing and murdered indigenous women. The broadcast will also discuss the 20th anniversary of the defense of Kanesatake through interviews with community members present during the Oka crisis.

Not only will important political topics be addressed, the celebration day will also showcase artistic talent of the Inter-Tribal Youth Center's (ITYC) youths through an on-site stone carving and an art exposition. This presentation is the culminating point of an ongoing stone carving project, which began in July 2009 with the opening of a community-based stone carving studio at the youth center. Since its inauguration, this studio has offered a space for established and emerging young Aboriginal artists to develop new skills and, in turn, create a highly diverse array of artwork.

Many of the Aboriginal youths of Montreal had multiple years of stone-carving experience upon arrival in the city. Some had even exposed their sculptures in galleries. However, due to limited resources, leaving their home communities often meant leaving behind the means to pursue their artistic careers. Through the stone-carving project, the ITYC strives to provide those resources and to reinvest in the artistic ability of these youths. As a result, this project has strengthened cultural ties with the youths’ traditional past and reinvigorated the artistic output of Montreal’s First Peoples community.

Over the past 10 months, youth artists have completed beautiful carvings, some resembling traditional Inuit style, others with a style all on their own. The June 17th exposition will be an opportunity for the greater Montreal community to view some of the carvings that the youth have produced over the course of the year. There will also be other forms of traditional and contemporary art forms on display created by all generations, from youths to elders, in the Friendship Center community. “This will be a great opportunity to discover the hidden artistic talents of Montreal’s Aboriginal artists and to form important ties among Native organizations and musicians who are taking part in this event,” says Keren Tang, a floor animator at the ITYC. Jorge Herrera, the youth coordinator at NFCM, agrees, “It is great that the Friendship Center is collaborating with other organizations like CKUT and McGill First People’s House, because by taking part in Montreal’s art and social life, we can portray this city through our own unique perspective.”

Local indigenous artists such as DJ MadEskimo, Moe Clark, Vincent Isaac, and others will top off the celebration with live musical performances. The Native Friendship Center will also be hosting a community dinner at 6pm to which all are welcome to attend.