RECONCILIATION THROUGH ART
PERFORMERS & EDUCATORS
2025
Enjoy incredible Indigenous musicians during Our Voices in Song on September 29th at Almonte Old Town Hall, and learn from Indigenous knowledge keepers during workshops at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum on September 30th.
PERFORMERS
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An event to coincide with the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An Event to Coincide with the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An Event to Coincide with the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An event to coincide with the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An Event to Coincide with the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Donate to the Kooshkopayiw Métis Artist Collective
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An Event to Coincide with the
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Donate to the Kooshkopayiw Métis Artist Collective
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An event to coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An Event to Coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
RECONCILIATION
THROUGH ART
An Event to Coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Event Details
Overview
Reconciliation Through Art is a fundraising event for Kooshkopayiw (Awakening) Métis Artist Collective and initiative to promote and support other Indigenous artists and artisans. The event features an Indigenous Art Exhibition, Storytelling and Performances.
Date
September 30th, 2024
Location
Mississippi Valley Textile Museum, Almonte, Ontario
Artists & Vendors
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Storytellers & Performers
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Sponsors
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Volunteers
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Media
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Additional Information
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Artists & Vendors
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Jennifer E. Brant
Jennifer E. Brant – Yakothehtón:ni, sits with the Bear Clan in Kenhté:ke, Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, Ontario, and is a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte. She is an Educator, Singer-songwriter, Artist, and Farmer. Jennifer’s work reflects her connection to her Kanyen’kéha (Mohawk) culture, and the people and places that surround her.
She has played music throughout Eastern Ontario at numerous festivals and events over the past 25 years as a single, duo with her husband Kieran Edwards or with her former band Mustang.
Jennifer independently released 3 albums, her most recent album is Resilience in December 2023. “Resilience”– is inspired by Kanyen’kéha (Mohawk) language and culture. Three of the songs are bilingual Kanyen’kéha and English.
Jennifer will be performing during Our Voices in Song at Almonte Old Town Hall on September 29th.
David Finkle
David Finkle has been called a 'Renaissance man'. Hailing from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, he is an award-winning, multi-instrumental recording artist versed in many musical genres. He is a traditional knowledge keeper, storyteller, drum maker, performer, producer, and sound engineer, and has completed scores for many various theatrical productions, documentaries and full-length features for 30 years.
David's music ranges from traditional melodies to live improvisation, being instinctual as well as involving a deep understanding of music theory without allowing it to stifle his heartfelt compositions. Exhibiting a strong focus on drums, melody duties often go to Native American Flute, an instrument unlike any other in the world. David has performed in North/Central America, the high Arctic, and Africa.
David will be performing during Our Voices in Song at Almonte Old Town Hall on September 29th.
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Aurora Jade
Since the age of nine, Aurora Jade has had an impressive musical career. Having won the grand prize at the 2008's National Aboriginal Day 'We Got Talent' competition in Ottawa, Aurora has gone on to perform the Senate at Parliament Hill, Grand Hall at the Museum of Civilization, pow-wows, numerous music festivals, galas and conferences, as well as having appeared on numerous T.V. and radio shows. Aurora is also a classical pianist and has won many nation-wide competitions for composition.
Now 26, Aurora performs with various musical acts, as well as gives solo performances of her repertoire of original material. She is currently working on her second album, residing in Ottawa, playing various venues, and teaching Indigenous arts in the schools.
Aurora will be performing during Our Voices in Song at Almonte Old Town Hall on September 29th.
Amanda Rheaume
A Citizen of the Métis Nation, and an active and proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Rheaume's music is indeed from the heart, and the land.
First a songwriter, Rheaume comes from a long line of tireless, transformational organizers and activists, and carries this lineage forward in her ever-growing role as a crucial builder of Indigenous music infrastructure and community.
From the International Indigenous Music Summit, to the newly-founded Ishkode Records, and the National Indigenous Music Office, the goal of raising Indigenous sovereignty in the music industry drives all of Rheaume's work.
Amanda will be performing during Our Voices in Song at Almonte Old Town Hall on September 29th.
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Kevin Schofield
Kevin Schofield, a.k.a. The Tennessee Cree, is an Indigenous singer-songwriter who blends powerful songwriting with traditional chants. His unique, evocative style is captured on his two-part solo album: Meeting Myself on Raven Street.
Kevin sings old school pow wow songs with classical violin and some Tennessee Cree twang. He will share Moose Cree songs of his youth. No one has ever sung a Cree hymn in Cree language in a rock concert setting... Kevin has!
Kevin will be performing during Our Voices in Song at Almonte Old Town Hall on September 29th.
EDUCATORS/WORKSHOPS
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Mitch Case
Mitch Case is a proud Métis citizen from the Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community. He is a community based historian, focusing on the history of Ontario Métis communities, especially those around the Great Lakes.
Mitch is a passionate defender of the Métis right to self-determination, jurisdiction over lands and resources and the cause of Métis Nationalism. Mitch volunteers in schools, colleges and universities across Ontario where he is invited to speak about Métis culture, history, traditions, rights and contemporary issues.
Alongside Zac Thiffault, Mitch will be co-hosting a workshop at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum at 1:00PM on September 30th. During the workshop, they will teach visitors about Métis history and the history of the Great Lakes Métis.
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Zac Thiffault
Zac Thiffault is Métis from the Georgian Bay Métis Community. He received his JD and his B.Soc.Sc (hons) from the University of Ottawa and is called to the Bar of Ontario.
Zac is Legal Counsel and Director of Métis Rights, Claims, and Litigation for the Métis Nation of Ontario, advising on a wide range of topics including, self-government, Métis rights, and internal governance.
Alongside Mitch Case, Zac will be co-hosting a workshop at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum at 1:00PM on September 30th. During the workshop, they will teach visitors about Métis history and the history of the Great Lakes Métis.
Amanda Fox
Amanda Fox is Ojibwe from the Unceded Territory of Wiikwemkoong, Ontario. Born and raised in Ottawa, Amanda has been able to spend most of her life engaging in her culture with songs, dance and artwork while living in “the big city.” Amanda began dancing at the age of 2 and now dances Old Style Jingle Dress. She has a profound knowledge of all styles of powwow dance and protocol. Amanda has been teaching powwow dance to women since she was a teenager and enjoys spreading awareness of Indigenous culture through her songs and artwork as well. Performing her dance since she was a child, she has had the honour of dancing for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Jean Chretien, Mayor Jim Watson, the National Arts Centre, school graduations, videos, events, etc.
Amanda will be hosting a workshop at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum at 2:00PM on September 30th. During the workshop, she will teach visitors about Jingle Dress Dancing.
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David Serkoak
David Serkoak was born in Nueltin Lake, Nunavut. He lived through many hardships as the federal government repeatedly relocated his family, along with other Ahiarmiut.
David received his primary education in Rankin Inlet and Whale Cove, then he worked in Arviat to promote the Inuit art from local carvers. Becoming interested in education, he soon attended the Teacher Education program in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Shortly after graduation, he returned to Arviat to start his teaching career and added a Bachelor of Education from McGill-Arctic College.
David has worked in many levels in education as a teacher (primary/high schools), vice-principal, principal, Instructor at Nunavut Arctic College, and as curator at the British Museum of Mankind in England. He was language and cultural instructor at Nunavut Sivuniksavut (NS), a college preparation program for young Inuit in Ottawa. David helped to develop Inuktitut (language) teaching materials at all levels--local, regional and territorial.
David will be hosting a workshop at the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum at 3:00PM on September 30th. During the workshop, he will teach visitors about Inuit Drum Dancing.
Isaac Murdoch
Isaac is well respected as a storyteller and traditional knowledge holder. For many years he has led various workshops and cultural camps that focus on the transfer of knowledge to youth. His work includes traditional Ojibway paint imagery/symbolism, harvesting, medicine walks and ceremonial knowledge, cultural camps, Anishinaabeg oral history, birch bark canoe making, birch bark scrolls, and youth and elders workshops. He has committed his life to the preservation of Anishinaabe cultural practices and has spent years learning directly from Elders. Issac will present stories and will have his prints and teaching tools available for sale.
Giniw Paradis
Graham Paradis (he/him) is Michif/Wiisaakodewin from Penetanguishene with ancestral ties to Lesser Lakes Lake, AB. He is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario. He has been beading since 2012 as a self-taught artist and started mentoring under Naomi Smith (Chippewas of Nawash, Neyaashiinigmiing Unceded Territory) in 2014. His beadwork and quillwork have been featured at the Royal Alberta Museum, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Art Mur, the PAMA Museum, Guelph Civic Museum, the Niagara Falls History Museum, and the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. Graham is Red/Green colour blind which at times gives his beadwork an interesting and unique colour palette.
Frybread Queen
Nish is a self-taught wood and bone antler carver. His home community is Kebaowek First Nation at Kipewa, Quebec.
His work naturally gravitated to eagles, bears, wolves and beaver – animals he had seen as a young boy living an Indigenous life with his grandparents in Northern Quebec.
Nish is carving a Thunderbird specifically for Reconciliation Through Art and will complete his carving during the event. He will tell the story of Nanibush and how the Thunderbird came to be.
Mitch Case
Mitch Case is a proud Métis citizen from the Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community. He is a community based historian, focusing on the history of Ontario Métis communities, especially those around the Great Lakes.
Mitch is a passionate defender of the Métis right to self-determination, jurisdiction over lands and resources and the cause of Métis Nationalism. Mitch volunteers in schools, colleges and universities across Ontario where he is invited to speak about Métis culture, history, traditions, rights and contemporary issues.
Mitch will present the Métis perspective of the Métis involvement in the War of 1812, the Mica Bay Incident and the Robinson Huron Treaty of 1850.
Lollies and Button Bites (Deborah Letch)
Waaseyaa Kwe, Sunshine Woman, Waanaashkeski Doodem, is a versatile artist, and self taught sweet maker based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is of Métis, French, and Algonkian (Anishinaabe) ancestry, with documented roots in Nipissing, Michilimakinac, and Trois Rivières. As an award nominated Makeup Artist, her creative nature enjoys art in all its forms including confectionary art, designing contemporary greeting cards, pin back buttons and nature inspired crafts. Inspired by her wanderings in the woods, birthed a fusion of woodland magic within her confections, where nature's bounty dances within her lollipops. Using top-quality ingredients without preservatives and keeping the ingredient list minimal, she meticulously handcrafts her sugar art as a form of creative expression.
SPECIAL SCREENING
Inendi (She is Absent)
Inendi is a documentary film, directed by Sarain Fox. Created in part as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada and the risk that the stories and experiences of Indigenous community Elders could be lost if not documented, the film documents Fox interviewing her elderly aunt, Mary Bell, about her experiences as an Indian Residential School Survivor.
The film's title, "Inendi", means "she is absent" in the Anishinaabemowin language. It premiered in December 2020 on CBC Gem, as part of the Short Docs series. Fox received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Host or Interviewer in a News or Information Program or Series at the 9th Canadian Screen Awards in 2021.
A special screening and discussion will take place on September 28th at the Almonte United Church Sanctuary, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Tickets are available through TicketsPlease. Donations are encouraged.
Zac Thiffault
Zac Thiffault is Métis from the Georgian Bay Métis Community.
Zac will be making a presentation on the history and the ancestry of the Métis families of the Great Lakes Métis Communities.
He received his JD and his B.Soc.Sc (hons) from the University of Ottawa. Zac is Legal Counsel to the Métis Nation of Ontario, advising on a wide range of topics including self-government, Métis rights, and internal governance. He is also Secretary of the Indigenous Bar Association.
Kevinn Schofield
Kevinn Schofield, a.k.a. The Tennessee Cree, is an Indigenous singer-songwriter who blends powerful songwriting with traditional chants. His unique, evocative style is captured on his two-part solo album: Meeting Myself on Raven Street.
Kevinn sings old school pow wow songs with classical violin and some Tennessee Cree twang. He will share Moose Cree songs of his youth. No one has ever sung a Cree hymn in Cree language in a rock concert setting... Kevinn has!
Amanda Rheaume
A Citizen of the Métis Nation, and an active and proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, Rheaume's music is indeed from the heart, and the land.
From the International Indigenous Music Summit, to the newly-founded Ishkode Records, and the National Indigenous Music Office, the goal of raising Indigenous sovereignty in the music industry drives all of Rheaume's work.
First a songwriter, Rheaume comes from a long line of tireless, transformational organizers and activists, and carries this lineage forward in her ever-growing role as a crucial builder of Indigenous music infrastructure and community.
David Finkle
David Finkle has been called a 'Renaissance man'. Hailing from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, he is an award-winning, multi-instrumental recording artist versed in many musical genres. He is a traditional knowledge keeper, storyteller, drum maker, performer, producer, and sound engineer, and has completed scores for many various theatrical productions, documentaries and full-length features for 30 years.
David's music ranges from traditional melodies to live improvisation, being instinctual as well as involving a deep understanding of music theory without allowing it to stifle his heartfelt compositions. Exhibiting a strong focus on drums, melody duties often go to Native American Flute, an instrument unlike any other in the world. David has performed in North/Central America, the high Arctic, and Africa.
Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk
Alyssa Delbaere-Sawchuk has completed a doctorate in classical and fiddle music traditions on the viola at the Université de Montréal. An award winning composer and performer, Alyssa strives to spread awareness of Métis culture within her communities.
Alyssa conducts workshops in schools on Métis fiddle music, oral learning tradition, improvisation, and cultural history. Over the course of her workshops, students learn about slides, drones, clogging, spoons, and grooves, and increase their cultural literacy of Indigenous music. At the event, she will conduct workshops in addition to performing with her good friend, Amanda Rheaume.
David Charette
David White Deer Charette’s home community is Wikwemikong, ON. He is an Ojibway Two-Spirit artist who started beading when he was 12. His sister taught him how to bead and his aunt taught him how to sew. His inspiration comes from growing up on the powwow trail.
David has been singing traditional and contemporary Indigenous music with the hand drum since he was 12 years old. His diverse songs can wow the crowd. He says, “I am Loon Clan and these sort of people can get the audience’s attention with the power in their voice by singing loud and soft when needed.”
Doris Lanigan
Doris is a Senator and Elder of the Métis Nation of Ontario. She will provide an opening prayer at the event. She will talk about the experience and the impact of the Sixties Scoop on her family who originate from Big River, Saskatchewan.
Doris will also model fashion designs by her son, Jason Baerg. Her photo was included in Vogue’s August 16, 2023 feature article: “21 Artists to Know at This Year’s Santa Fe Indian Market”
Kristy Cameron, a teacher and visual artist, was born and raised in Atikokan, Ontario, the Canoe Capital of Canada. As a Métis artist and descendant of numerous fur trade employees, she often incorporates Indigenous and historical content into her art. With this history and culture, we often see spiritual weavings throughout her pieces which evoke sensations such as mystery, energy, contentment, and joyfulness. Kristy's art can be found in private and public collections, such as the Archives of Ontario, the Kenora Justice Centre, the Canadian Museum of History, and various school boards and social agencies. She has collaborated with various authors to illustrate books and stories such as The Seven Sacred Teachings and Meet Your Family; these books have been highly used by educators nationwide.