Fund hopes to promote Indigenous culture
- EFN Staff | December 30, 2016
Thanks to Canadian Heritage's Canada 150 Fund, SaskCulture has received $400,000 for a program called “Resilience and Respect: 150 years and beyond” that includes five partners: Gabriel Dumont Institute, Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre, Saskatchewan Aboriginal Writers Circle Inc., Buffalo People Arts Institute, and Saskatchewan Arts Board. The money is meant to help foster a greater awareness and understanding of indigenous culture in Saskatchewan. Guided by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, funds will be used to build new and respectful relationships between Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples through language, literature and arts engagement throughout 2017 and beyond. Applicants are encouraged to adopt a “reconciliation and respect” focus in funding requests to existing programs for 2017.
The funding announcement was made on November 25th by Hon. Ralph Goodale, “This funding…will help celebrate the achievements of a broad cross-section of people in Saskatchewan and their invaluable contributions to Canadian nation building.”
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The announcement outlined a list of activities that will take place with fund support:
- Indigenous artist presentations to schools through LIVE Arts, in partnership with Saskatchewan Arts Board and Saskatchewan Ministry of Education;
- Design and delivery of Indigenous language workshops for youth in First Nations communities, in partnership with Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre;
- A Métis culture and language gathering, in partnership with Gabriel Dumont Institute;
- Expansion of an Indigenous literary festival, in partnership with Saskatchewan Aboriginal Writers Circle Inc.;
- Creative workshops and community celebration, in partnership with Buffalo People Arts Institute;
- And a final cultural gathering to showcase activities and ensure a legacy, organized by SaskCulture.
SaskCulture will be responsible for fund management and distribution. “Canada’s 150th anniversary serves as an opportunity for us all to reflect on this point in time, including the years leading up to it, and the changing relationships going forward,” says Joanne McDonald, President, SaskCulture.
SaskCulture, a provincial non-profit cultural organization, together with expertise from various partners – Saskatchewan Indigenous Cultural Centre (SICC), Gabriel Dumont Institute (GDI), Saskatchewan Arts Board (SAB), Saskatchewan Aboriginal Writers Circle Inc. (SAWCI), and Buffalo People Arts Institute - will offer a range of accessible and participatory programming designed to build understanding and awareness of Saskatchewan’s Indigenous peoples and celebrate a new relationship moving forward.