Posts by Circles

Several Circles for Reconciliation staff were at this year's Vision Quest spreading the word on our reconciliation efforts. We were there to invite other organizations to participate in our Sharing Circles. Our team members visited many tables and had a wonderful time speaking to many future partners. The CFR table had invitations and registration forms indicating that we are hosting a National Indigenous Peoples Day Event on June 21st at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place, at the old exhibition grounds, 90 Sinclair St, Winnipeg, Mb.

If you're planning to go to this year's "sold out"  2023 Vision Quest Conference & Trade Show, please come by our booth and say hello to some of our staff and volunteers! Last year's conference had a record "1300+ participants". A key theme of this conference is to bring an eclectic group of businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs, to discuss and exchange ideas about community and Indigenous economic development initiatives and activities. You can find more info at this link.

Zach Whitecloud has become the first Indigenous hockey player from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to join the ranks of the National Hockey League's (NHL's) Vegas Golden Knights. Whitecloud was born November 28, 1996 in Brandon, Manitoba, and was raised on Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. He went to high school in Brandon. He played with the Virden Oil Kings in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League and junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League. He signed his first contract with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 and another six-year contract in 2021. Whitecloud was instrumental for putting…

We  ran a post last month about William Prince, from Peguis First Nation and his Grand Ole Oprey debut, on February 18. Prince recently appeared on Winnipeg's CTV Morning Live. Prince said that new singers to the Grand Ole Oprey stand on a cut out circle from the original Grand ole Oprey. His new record came out on April 14 and you can hear one of his songs at this link. Prince refers to his music as a 'declaration to joy' and I found it very unpretentious cause he sings from the heart. --Rick Demas

The "Manitoba Theatre For Young People’s" (MTFYP) award-winning production, of Frozen River (nîkwatin sîpiy) is playing at the Young People's Theater in Toronto, Ontario. The play centers around two 11 year old girls; a Scottish and a Cree girl and was sourced from both traditional Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and western sources like records from the Manitoba Archives. The play seems to originate when Lord Selkirk immigrated to southern Manitoba in 1812 and settled on present day Winnipeg. The play has a temporal element beginning in 1812 and cumulating in the present day, while incorporating an element of reconciliation. Tickets can be…

It seems that Canada's Indigenous languages milieu has created quite a following amongst non-Indigenous professionals immigrating to Canada and are trying hard to integrate into Canadian society by learning an Indigenous language. Junaid Khan is an Ecologist who immigrated from Pakistan 20 years ago and started working with Anishinaabe, Joe Pitawanakwat who is a plant expert. Khan is a CFR Advisory Committee Member. Both Khan and Pitawanakwat decided to produce a pamphlet, cataloguing birds species in Anishinaabemowin at a free class offered by the Native Canadian Centre in Toronto. You can read this report along with other background info and…

The Steinbach Arts Council is presenting the Manitoba Theatre For Young People’s award-winning production, of Frozen River (nîkwatin sîpiy) on Saturday March 25th at 4:00 pm at the Pat Porter Active Living Center, Steinbach, MB. The play centers around two 11 year old girls; a Scottish and a Cree girl and was sourced from both traditional Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and western sources like records from the Manitoba Archives. The play seems to originate when Lord Selkirk immigrated to southern Manitoba in 1812. This is a family orientated play and you can order your tickets by calling 204-346-1077.

An Indigenous man originally from Peguis First Nation played in Country Music's Hall of Fame - the Grand Ol Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, this past February 18, joining the likes of legendary singers like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Dolly Parton."Prince's career got a big boost in 2017 when he won the Canadian Juno Contemporary Roots Album-of-the-year Award.

Winnipeg’s Festival du Voyageur is western Canada’s largest winter festival and has its origins in colonial Canada when the fur trade expanded to western Canada in 1810 and employees of the Northwest Company started building Fort Gibraltar at the southeast corner of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers. In 1970, Métis activist, Georges Forest founded Festival du Voyageur in its present form, generating nearly $13 million in economic activity to the local economy while averaging 100,000 attendees.This year’s rendition of the 2023 Festival du Voyageur promises to have more Indigenous activities including the “return ... [of the] infinity fire ... serving…