Orange Shirt Day 2023

September 28, 2023
10am-12pm
RCC, The Venn

Saagajiwe is honored to announce A Celebration of Indigenous Renaissance. In recognition of Orange Shirt Day and Truth and Reconciliation Day, Saagajiwe will screen the film "Going Back to the Blanket", followed by a Q&A session. This event is an invitation to join hands in understanding, remembrance, and celebration of the enduring spirit of Indigenous communities.

September 29, 2023
Starting 9:30am
SLC 8th floor

To commemorate Ozaawaa Babigoyaan Giizhigad (Orange Shirt Day), TMU community members are invited to attend a number of events taking place on campus on Friday, September 29. In addition, lights along Gould and Victoria Street will be turned orange the week leading up to Orange Shirt Day.

Agenda

• 9:30 a.m. Opening song, prayer and welcoming remarks
• 10 a.m. Presentation/teachings
• 11 a.m. Wellness break
• 11:15 a.m. Presentation/teachings
• 12 p.m. Lunch 
• 1:30 p.m. Survivors flag raising in the quad and silent memorial walk around campus 
• 3 p.m. Virtual tour of Woodland Cultural Centre (formerly the Mohawk Institute Residential School)

Carl Beam is a visual artist from M'Chigeeng First Nation who worked in a range of mediums, including painting, printmaking, and sculpture. In his early career, he focussed on collage, combining multiple photographs into a single image and experimenting with different photo transfer techniques. In the 1980s, Beam started working with ceramic pottery that he decorated with his own designs and images. In 1986, he became the first Indigenous artist to have his work appear in the National Gallery of Canada when his painting "The North American Iceberg" was purchased by the gallery. 

WATCH: Greg Hill from the National Gallery of Canada discusses Carl Beam's work (external link) 

Christi Belcourt (apihtâwikosisâniskwêw / mânitow sâkahikanihk) is a visual artist, designer, community organizer, environmentalist, and social justice advocate. She's known for creating expansive acrylic paintings that give the illusion of intricate beadwork. Rather than simply presenting decorative floral designs, Belcourt imbues each piece with a narrative, encapsulating stories in her art. Belcourts paintings can be found in permanent collections across North America, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Gabriel Dumont Museum, the Thunder Bay Art Gallery, the Minneapolis Institute of Art among others. 

Tracey Lindberg is a writer, scholar, lawyer and Indigenous Rights activist. She's is Cree-Métis and a member of the As'in'i'wa'chi Ni'yaw Nation, also known as Kelly Lake Cree Nation. Her best-selling novel, Birdie (2015), tells the story of Bernice, a Cree woman who embarks on a quest for family and self-understanding. Along the way, she learns life lessons from her dreams, ultimately finding the strength to recover from past tragedy and rebuild her life through the lens of Cree traditions. Lindberg is also an associate professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa and the recipient of the 2007 Governor General's Award for her dissertation in critical Indigenous legal theory. 

Natalie Loveless is a Professor of Contemporary Art & Theory in the University of Alberta’s Department of Art and Design. Last year, Loveless was the keynote speaker for RUBIX, an annual exhibition, symposium, and showcase event that celebrates the scholarly, research, and creative (SRC) activities within The Creative School. In her most recent book, "How to Make Art at the End of the World: A Manifesto for Research Creation" (external link, opens in new window) , Loveless advocates for research-creation as not only a tool for making academia more sustainable and socially responsible.

Billy-Ray Belcourt is a writer and academic from the Driftpile Cree Nation. In 2018, he released his debut book of poetry titled "The Wound is a Word", which won the Griffin Poetry Prize and was a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award. His second book of poems, "NDN Coping Mechanisms: Notes from the Field", was also critically acclaimed and Belcourt was hailed as "one of the most imaginative and creative writers in the country” by Open Book (external link, opens in new window) . In 2022, he released his first work of fiction, "A Minor Chorus", which became a national bestseller and was long listed for the Scotiabank Giller Prize. 

Celeigh Cardinal is a singer-songwriter from Edmonton, Alberta. She is most known for her 2019 album, "Stories from a Downtown Apartment", which won Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the 2020 Juno Awards. "Celeigh Cardinal's voice brings to mind the deep soul singers of old," says fellow musician, Leela Gilday (external link, opens in new window) . "She has so much nuance, spirit and tone invested in every note - from sweet and gentle bedtime-folk-melodies to knock-down-drag-out-leave-your-lover wails. Her songs range from ballads and thoughtful reflections on life to road-tripping good-time songs." 

Jules Koostachin is an award-winning filmmaker and a graduate of the Documentary Media program here at TMU. She was raised by her Cree speaking grandparents in Moosonee and is a member of Attawapiskat First Nation. Koostachin is most known for her 2022 film "Broken Angel", which she wrote and directed. The film premiered at the ImagiNATIVE Film Festival and was longlisted for the Jean-Marc Vallée DGC Discovery Award at the 2022 Directors Guild of Canada awards.

WATCH: Trailer for "Broken Angel" (external link, opens in new window) 

War Party was a Cree hiphop group based in Maskwacis, Alberta and founded by Rex Small Boy (external link)  and Ryan Small. Members also included Cynthia Smallboy, Karmen Omeosoo, Bryan Omeosoo, and Tom Crier. In 2001, they were the first Indigenous hip-hop group to have a music video appear on MuchMusic.