10 days until free Indigenous festival, ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire), presented by Musqueam and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia and Musqueam announced today the full slate of programming for the third annual Indigenous festival, ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire). Held on September 14, 2024 from 12PM – 7PM, the family-friendly festival is free with no tickets required. The festival will activate the Chan Centre and its surrounding area, culminating in finale performances inside the venue at 5PM. Parking at the nearby Rose Garden Parkade is free from 11AM.

“For the third year in a row, Musqueam is thrilled to partner with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl. In our culture, fire is the centre of our longhouses, where our ceremonial work takes place. Being called ‘toward the fire’ is a call to join us in this celebration of Indigenous talent and creative expression. This festival is a unique opportunity for Musqueam not only to meet, but to welcome a diverse group of Indigenous artists that we don’t often see in one lineup or in our territory. hay ce:p q̓ə, thank you to everyone at the Chan Centre for their collaboration and for their work to make this festival happen.”

xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam) Chief Wayne Sparrow

xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam) is proud to invite community members Manuel Strain and Christie Lee Charles to return as hosts for the 2024 festival. Manuel Strain is a Two-Spirit artist of the xʷməθkʷəyəm (Musqueam), Simpcw and Syilx peoples. Strain’s artwork confronts and undermines the imposed realities of colonialism while engaging in topics such as ancestral relations, labour, resource extraction, and gender. Winner of the 2022 Portfolio Prize, Strain works in various mediums including sculpture, installations, performance, and painting. The City of Vancouver’s first Indigenous poet laureate, Christie Lee Charles is a xʷməθkʷəyəm rapper, storyteller, Coastal hand drum singer, filmmaker, speaker for her ancestors, and a direct descendant of the great warrior Capilano.

River Grass Stage

The outdoor River Grass Stage will feature musical performances and invited speakers with previously announced artists Tsatsu Stalqayu / Coastal Wolf Pack, Digawolf, Fawn Wood, Sister Ray, Hayley Wallis, DJ Kookum and Sierra Baker (K̓esugwilakw), and MJScottS.

Cedar Grove Stage

Nestled amongst the cedar trees outside of the Chan Centre lobby, the Cedar Grove Stage will feature poets, authors, and storytellers. Massy Books, a nêhiyaw-Métis woman-owned and operated bookstore, has curated a literary program that will feature three youth poets under the theme “Our Bodies A Megaphone.” Shawnelle Blackbird Riley is a queer Anishinaabekwe from Munsee-Delaware nation; Valeen Jules is a queer birth worker and wood carver from the Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw nations; and Jaz Whitford is a Secwe̓pemc and mixed settler interdisciplinary artist. In sharing their poetry, they free their personal stories as well as their ancestors’ into the atmosphere.

Returning this year for children’s storytelling in the Cedar Grove are Quelemia Sparrow (xʷməθkʷəyəm) and Kung Jaadee (Haida). Quelemia Sparrow is a playwright and Leo Award-winning actor, and made appearances on TV shows such as Fringe and Da Vinci’s Inquest. She was also playwright-in-residence for Full Circle: First Nation’s Performance. Kung Jaadee is a professional storyteller, educator, and author who has been performing traditional Haida stories for the past 29 years.

Nêhiyaw/Cree, Nahkawiniw/Saulteaux artist and storyteller Renae Morriseau from Treaty 1 territory will also share stories at the Cedar Grove stage. She has worked across Canada and internationally with her singing group, M’Girl. She currently instructs Indigenous film studies at Capilano University and continues to create her own work in music and film with a community-first approach.

Flag Pole Plaza

Indigenous-led collective Nations Skate Youth will offer free skateboarding demos and youth workshops at Flag Pole Plaza. Founded in December of 2020 by Rose Archie, Joe Buffalo, and brothers Dustin and Tristan Henry, Nations Skate Youth’s mission is to empower Indigenous youth through skateboarding, which they champion as a way to create community, celebrate Indigenous culture, and inspire confidence in Indigenous youth. The workshops are free and open to all attendees.

RBC Cinema

Inside the RBC Cinema, 17 films will be screened throughout the day. The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival, the world’s largest presenter of Indigenous screen content, brings Indigenous-made film works to communities across Turtle Island through their Tour Program. ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl is proud to showcase five short films from their Youth program and six films from their Elders program. c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city (2017) from “Stories from Musqueam” will also be shown, which commemorates Musqueam’s successful resistance to a condo development that was planned at an important ancestral site without prior consultation or consent. Joe Buffalo, one of Nation Skate Youth’s founders, is the subject of the short documentary film, “Joe Buffalo,” directed by Amar Chebib and executive produced by Tony Hawk. The film reveals how skateboarding helped Buffalo to overcome addictions and the trauma of the Indian Residential School system. “The Bannock Brotherhood” follows Paul Natrall, known locally as ‘Mr Bannock’, through his home territory in the Squamish Nation. The short documentary explores the significance of community leadership and the importance of local ingredients in the creation of his Indigenous food truck and catering company.

Finale concert inside the Chan Centre

The festival will conclude with a finale concert from 5PM inside the Chan Shun Concert Hall. Previously announced headliners Celeigh Cardinal and Sebastian Gaskin will each perform, capping off the festival with an energetic mix of folk, blues, pop and R&B-infused musical stylings.

For the full festival schedule, please click here.