National Aboriginal Day at Trout Lake was in the news this week! Take a look at the following video footage from the event and listen to interviews with Susan Tatoosh from the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society and with yoga instructor June McCue.
Global News:
CBC:
NADOC would like to extend a huge thank you to the organizers, community partners, sponsors, performers, caterers, vendors, and volunteers who helped to make National Aboriginal Day at Trout Lake an awesome community celebration! Thank you for all of your support before, during, and after the event!
We are pleased to announce that our host caterer this year is Cedar Feast House Catering! Operating out of Skwachàys Lodge in downtown Vancouver, Cedar Feast House Catering blends traditional Aboriginal cuisine with that of other countries from around the world. At National Aboriginal Day at Trout Lake they will be serving their Indian Tacos. Both a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian option will be provided.
Bitterly Divine is a rock-n-roll and blues group whose music is characterized by what music critics have called “a thundering bass line and syncopated First Nations drumming.” The band is mainly made up of Squamish and Cree musicians, and has been nominated for the Best New Group, Best Rock CD and Best Group or Duo awards at the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards.
Bitterly Divine released their first album on June 20, 2009, at a launch event at the River Rock Casino in the Lower Mainland which attracted 600 people. This event has become known as the “biggest First Nations CD release” to ever occur in Vancouver. The group also performed during the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic games, which included a performance at Live City Yaletown with Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson as a special guest drummer.
To hear some of Bitterly Divine’s music, please visit this website: http://music.cbc.ca/#!/artists/Bitterly-Divine
National Aboriginal Day at Trout Lake is this Sunday, and everyone from the National Aboriginal Day Organizing Committee is very excited for the event! This site map shows the locations of activities at Trout Lake on the day of.
There are going to be many exciting family-friendly activities at National Aboriginal Day at Trout Lake, such as a drum workshop, storytelling, lacrosse, and face painting! See the activities poster below for further details. Please note that times indicated on the poster are subject to change.
Keane was born in Terrace, BC. His Nisga’a name is Wal Aks, coming from the House of Axdii Wil Luu-Gooda of the Git-Wilt’uuts’kwhl Aks Clan of the Raven / Frog tribe among the Nisga’a People. He currently resides in Vancouver / Ts’amiks. Keane Wal Aks is fluent in the Nisga’a language and takes pride in learning other languages. From childhood he has been taught the traditional values of his culture and oral history of his people by his mom and many aunts and uncles, but above all by his late
grandmother Addie Tait and his late grandfather Tom Tait.
Keane is an accomplished Gwiis Maakskw (lit. Wearing White) weaver. He started out learning Salish Weaving from the Musqueam weaver Debra Sparrow and Wal Aks is now an accomplished Ravens’ Tail (Gwiis Maakskw) Weaver.
Wal Aks / Keane and his mom, Emily, have worked as a team under their home-based business “Radiating Ravens”. Their work is predominately in the form of sewing by hand and machine. He creates all the artwork for the Regalia and Feastwear made by the family duo.
Keane Wal Aks is inspired by his late Grandfather Tom T. Tait, his cousin Peter T. McKay, and Mike Dangeli.
Both a musician and an artist, Candace Curr is an up-and-coming indie singer who released her first single, “Hear Me,” in 2014. Collaborating with Rob Thomson of Sister Says, Curr is also currently working on her debut album, “The Knowing.” She plays the guitar and ukulele.
Of Nuu Chah Nulth background, Curr works to stay connected to her Aboriginal community and culture. Along with being a musician, Curr also produces Coastal First Nations artwork. Her art has been shown on display in the Museum of Manitoba, the Historical Dominion Institute in Toronto and the Art en Captial exhibit in Paris.
To hear Candace Curr’s single, “Hear Me,” please visit this website: https://soundcloud.com/candace-curr
The agenda for National Aboriginal Day at Trout Lake is here! Please note that times are subject to change.
Silver Harmony drummers and singers were brought together by the Elders Cultural Identity Coordinator at the Pacific Association of First Nations Women. They have been together since September 2014.
The group has seven female members: Jan Zickler from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Dora Leo and her daughter Isabelle from the Lil’Wat Nation, Patricia Tuckanow from the Muskapeeting Nation, Brenda Wesley from the Git’saan Nation, Sarah Good from the Snuney’mux Nation, and Ruth Alfred from the Namgis Nation.
Silver Harmony members range in age from early 50s to mid 70s. They sing a variety of songs both in First Nations languages and English, and the group performs at opening ceremonies, gatherings, and other functions or events in the community.