Education Conference
MANITO AHBEE EDUCATION CONFERENCE
NOVEMBER 4, 5 & 6
WINNIPEG CONVENTION CENTRE
Some of the presenters for the 2009 line-up include:
Barbara Nepinak
SummerBear Dance Troupe
The SummerBear Dance Troupe was formed under the direction of Barbara Nepinak and focuses on the educational and sharing aspects of the Aboriginal Community, acknowledging the different regions where the dances originated. The Troupe has male and female dancers ranging in age from four and up. There are Ojibway, Cree, Assiniboine and Sioux tribes represented in the Troupe. The men and boys perform the Grass Dance, the Traditional, the Fancy Feather Dance and the Hoop Dance. The women and girls perform the Fancy Shawl Dance, the Traditional and the Jingle Dress. The name of the group originated from the original Ojibway name of Nepinak - “Neebin-ni-maqua” meaning Summer Bear. The regalia of the dancers are usually made and carry meaning by each individual. The oral history is shared to enhance ones traditional knowledge.
Carol James
Métis Sash Weaving
Living in St. Boniface MB. and also known as the ‘FingerWeaver’ Carol is a proud Fiber Artist who comes from a long line of spinners, weavers and knitters. Carol’s workshop will provide an interactive demonstration of loom weaving as well as involve an energetic group weaving dance in celebration of Metis culture. Participants will see a diverse display of Metis sash replicas that were based on journals, paintings and Fur Trade Company records. There will also be the opportunity to receive hands on learning to take home your own basic weaving piece as well as an appreciation for the different threads and colours used to make various sashes, leg ties and wall hangings.
CBC Radio
CBC employees who do everything from producing to hosting present this 45-minute workshop. We will describe what we do in our day-to-day work and then we'll talk to you, the audience. It is from you that the best stories come from. We'll show you how a story makes it air - from the idea stage to the final edit. You could hear yourself on the radio. This is an interactive workshop! Have you ever wondered how the media finds out about a story? Everyone has a story, so how do we make that decision on what CBC will cover and what we wont’? We’ll tell you all about and let you know how you too can be a radio star!
Don Amero
Musician/Producer
Don Amero is a 9 time APCMA nominated musician and has spent the past 5 years building his music business, Ramero Co. He's toured all across Canada playing shows and hosting workshops. This year Don has begun a new workshop dedicated to helping those wanting to get more involved in the music industry. Don will share his story of how he independently produced his first album and booked his own tours across Canada. In this workshop there is also a demonstration of how to record your own demos from home.
Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre
Rocky McKay & Wilfred Buck
First Nations Portable Planetarium
Manito Ahbee is honoured to host a unique project created to educate First Nations Students, as well as all others, about the knowledge base inherent in First Nations history. The portable planetarium is an inflatable dome 5 meters in height by 8 meters in diameter designed to walk students and educators through a variety of teachings including: cardinal directions & First Nations significance, Polaris and First Nations perspective, Big Dipper and First Nations perspective, Constellations, Moon phases, Planets and Deep sky objects such as nebula, the galaxy and stars.
National Aboriginal Role Model Program
Role models inspire us to improve ourselves, reach for our goals and be the best we can be. The National Aboriginal Role Model Program celebrates the accomplishments of First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth aged 13 to 30. The program's message, Lead Your Way! encourages youth to lead their own way in their successful journeys in life. Learn more about this program and how it is encouraging youth to pursue their dreams.
National Film Board
Morgan Rhys Tams
CODE, the Cultural Olympiad's digital edition, and the National Film Board are collaborating to deliver Digital Storytelling Workshops to communities across Canada. Participants will contribute to Canada CODE and learn about the NFB collection and online resources for educators. In these workshops bilingual facilitators will teach participants how to take effective digital photographs;
use critical thinking skills to interpret stories from images; write short stories using minimal text; create a storyboard; remix photographs and words to create an original story and choose and add sounds to communicate a message.
Canada CODE is a collection of words and photos by Canadians collaborating online to welcome the world in 2010. Supported by Bell, with the National Film Board as a major collaborator, Canada CODE invites Canadians everywhere to connect with and explore this ever-evolving blueprint of the country. During the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, a selection of these stories will hit the big screen for the world to see. www.vancouver2010.com/code
Nikki Komaksiutiksak
Inuit Throat Singer
Originally from Chesterfield Inlet Nunavut, Nikki is a self-described ‘urban’ Inuit who has lived in Winnipeg for nineteen years. As part of the Eskimo Inuit Throat Singers she has performed all over the world demonstrating the unique style of singing. Nikki is a second year Social Work student who takes pride in being a role model for her three children. Her workshop will share teachings around Inuit culture explaining how many stories go with each dialect from Nunavut and other regions of the North. There will be an explanation of the Inuit drum and description of different games that helped generations survive living and hunting in cold harsh Northern climates.
Trevor Kiitokii-Illusionist
Youth Mentorship Workshop/First Nations Connection to the Land
The workshop will focus on cultural groups that maintained hunting and gathering lifestyles that included some animal and plant husbandry. Each cultural grouping developed and maintained a unique cultural relationship with their geo-surroundings that enabled them to survive off the land. From this aspect, each geographical region in what is now Canada enabled the People to maintain a cultural lifestyle that is unique to their area. This session will provide a brief overview of Aboriginal history from the Pre-Columbian era to present. The Facilitator will offer an understanding of First Nations Cultural connection to the land and how cultural survival is very important today. There will also be an interpretation of how “Story, Song and Dance” influenced the culture.
MB Hydro/MB Forestry Association
Manitoba Envirothon is a hands-on high school environmental science
competition. Teams of 5 students use their skills and knowledge to
complete a field test and oral competition containing real-life
problems. Manitoba Envirothon embodies sustainable development and
environmental education. Visit our booth to put your skills in
aquatics, wildlife, forestry and soils to the test. This sample test
kit was created by Jacqueline Monteith, a teacher at Cormorant Lake
School. She enlisted a student to help trap and collect the skulls
and a local artist donated the furs found in this kit. Currently,
Jacqueline is working with local Elders to put together a document
that highlights the many links between Traditional Ecological
Knowledge with Manitoba Envirothon.
Wanda Barker & Gloria Barker
Honouring Mother Earth through Sustaining Languages
Workshop participants will have an opportunity to share their thoughts on the importance of maintaining, revitalizing, and promotion of Aboriginal languages and cultures. The workshop presenters will teach two songs. One utilizes the guitar and is called Honouring Mother Earth. The song conveys the message that Mother Earth and life are gifts and it is our responsibility to respect and sustain them in good way. The other is a drum song in English that pays tribute to the diversity of the Aboriginal nations and the strength and pride to Aboriginal cultural ways of life. It also gives the message that we have to respect and honour all our relations and works together to create a better world. A teaching about the importance of animals will be conveyed through a game on the Clan System. Workshop presenters will discuss the importance of individual gifts and talents and the participants will also participate in Ojibwe songs which highlight individual gifts.
Native Women’s Association of Canada
Hip Hop y2y: youth to youth
The Native Women’s Association of Canada’s (NWAC), Daughter Spirit in Action (DSIA) is a collective of dedicated young Aboriginal women and girls representing Manitoba. DSIA promotes healthy living and culture as a means to good mental health. Our hip hop workshop is alive and interactive. We call upon a number of talented young entertainers who each can provide the mix, the beat and the energy to transfer positive and healthy messages to audiences! DSIA’s workshops whether traditional or contemporary are anchored in culture with either an Elder or community member opening and closing the workshop.
Hector Perez-Pacheco
Aztec/Mayan Teachings
?Awakening the Warrior Spirit, Native Wisdom Applied Today?
Audience members will be empowered to take a leadership role in the
challenges facing the earth and our communities by utilizing ancient
native wisdom. This lecture will remind audience members of their
responsibility as Guardians of the Seventh Generations. Finally,
lecture will inspire participants to take action.
Audience will be introduced to the Four Stages of Life and the Four
Circle program. This program informs and empowers youth through the
following process: (1) Introduction/Acknowledgement (2) Understanding
and subject matter (3) Integration subject matter to their lives and
build a plan to address the topic (4) Implantation of the ideas.
Beatrice Mosionier
Aboriginal Literature
Beatrice is the author of In Search of April Raintree, 25th Anniversary Edition, and she has had a long-term concern for environmental issues. “Mother Earth needs you. She needs you to be strong and to take action. Take action in your daily lives – turn off the lights. Take action at the voting booths – we need a strong, reliable leadership. When Cheryl Raintree delivers her message at the powwow, she did not foresee the grave danger that Mother Earth faces today.”
How can Aboriginal literature give hope in the quest to save Mother Earth? Workshop activities will include “think tank” groups to explore possible solutions to our global dilemma, leading to how we can incorporate these solutions into our literature.
Gary Robson
Men's Teachings
Flora Ruck
Women's Teachings
2009 Attending Schools:
Shaughnessy Park School
Bruce Middle School
Otter Nelson River School-Cross Lake
Maples Collegiate
John Pritchard School
Gordon Bell
Sisler High School
General Wolfe
Dauphin Friendship Ctre.
Anishinaabe Abinoojii Family Service Prevention
Circle of Courage
Ma Ma Wi Chi Itata Centre
Elwick School
Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itate
Children of the Earth High School
Waubaseemoong Anishinaabe Abinooji
Gordon Bell-Just Learning
Gordon Bell High School
Sturgeon Heights Collegiate
Miles Macdonell Collegiate
Southeast Collegiate
Tec Voc High School
Argyle Alternative High School
Ginew School
Churchill High School
If you wish register your school/student for the 2009 Education Conference, please fill out our registration form here.
Last year the Education Conference expanded once again, increasing to five days. Two days, November 3 & 4, were dedicated to outreach with Ray Stevenson taking a group of dancers to four middle schools. The schools were Linwood, Brock Corydon, Bruce Middle and Carpathia.
November 5 – 7, were dedicated to grades 7 to 12 who participated in contemporary and traditional workshops at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. Manito Ahbee was able to deliver a free lunch and entertainment with the generous support of various sponsors.
Manito Ahbee Education Youth Conference Theme: Saving Our Mother Earth (SOME) – SOMEone has to do it! That SOMEone is you!
Jacqueline Friesen
Education Conference Coordinator
Manito Ahbee Festival Inc.
Lower Level - 376 Donald Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
R3B 2J2
P:(204) 956-1849
F:(204) 956-0241
TF: 1-866-956-1849
jfriesen@manitoahbee.com
