TProudly located on the traditional, un-ceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, Full Circle: First Nations Performance presents the 17th Annual Talking Stick Festival
Date/Time: Feb 22 2018, 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm
Vancouver, Vancity Theatre | Event calendar
Talking Stick presents: c̓əsnaʔəm: the city before the city
True North | Vancity Theatre Screening
We live our lives on land that was never ceded or sold by those who were living here at "first contact" and yet we know precious little about the Lower Mainland before real estate. People often think of Vancouver as a new city, when in fact this region has been occupied for 9,000 years. This film aims to correct that with a meaningful reminder of the history and prehistory of this land and her first people.
Located in the area now known as Marpole in Vancouver, c̓əsnaʔəm was first occupied almost 5,000 years ago and became one of the largest of the Musqueam people’s ancient village sites. Generations of families lived at what was then the mouth of the Fraser River, harvesting the rich resources of the delta. Today, intersecting railway lines, roads, and bridges to Richmond and YVR obscure the heart of Musqueam’s traditional territory, yet c̓əsnaʔəm’s importance to the Musqueam community remains undiminished. VIFF alumnus Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, in collaboration with the Musqueam First Nation and the UBC Museum of Anthropology’s curatorial team, shares an important and well-researched reflection on a time when BC was indeed super and natural.
Drawing meaning from the salmon’s journey to their spawning grounds, 2018’s festival is aptly named Scháyilhen (S-ch-eye-yay-lh-un), which translates literally to "Salmon Going Up River"; and speaks to the journey the community is taking towards embracing and celebrating Indigenous art forms and practices.
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Established in 1992, by Margo Kane (Cree/Saulteaux nation), Full Circle is a registered Canadian non-profit, Indigenous Arts organization that provides a platform for Indigenous artists to create, work, and train in the Arts. We engage our community in year-round Indigenous programs (Moccasin Trek: Arts on the Move!, Indian Acts and the Aboriginal Ensemble) in addition to our annual signature event, the Talking Stick Festival.
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