A Winter Village

For two years, Circadia Indigena produced a Mid-Winter Arts Festival in the National Capitol Region. The festival, held at the Wabano Centre, occurred at the time many First Nations consider the beginning of the Ceremonial calendar, or in essence the “New Year”. The festival, which will be produced again in 2019, is a multi-disciplinary arts platform highlighting the storytelling cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in this traditional storytelling time. The festival will celebrate the winter culture of Indigenous artists working in dance, theatre, visual art storytelling, film, and music.

Traditionally this time is a season of storytelling and the beginning and renewal of the year’s ceremonial cycle. This gathering offers exceptional multi-disciplinary arts and cultural programming, and will be a platform for celebrating indigenous winter culture by highlighting storytelling traditions. Indigenous storytelling has many forms; Creation stories, history, visions, teachings, news, ceremony, messages, songs, and many more. This gathering will draw on these forms and showcase them through Elders, cultural presenters, and artists in a presentation and workshop format.

For 2019 season, we will gather the artists together across three different themes within the Winter Village:

(1) The time of year tells us it is the beginning and renewal of the ceremonial cycle, we will share the ways First Peoples’ mark this time with celebration and ceremony.

(2) We will highlight our storytelling traditions within this traditional “storytelling time” of the winter cycle.

(3) And we will share the beauty of the winter cultures of First Nation’s, Inuit and Métis peoples.

Join us Winter 2019.