In-Person Cultural Presentations

By Various Presenters

Saturday, April 18th - 10AM-3PM (Doors ~9:45AM) - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT

This year at the KDCC, Gwaandak Theatre is pleased to host a series in-person cultural presentations. Each presentation will be approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour in length, with a 45 minute break between 12PM-12:45PM, with the afternoon presentations resuming at 1PM.

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. There will also be pre-registered Beaded Keychain Making (10AM-3PM), drop-in Fur Pompom Keychain Making (between 12PM-3PM), as well as an extra table set up for beading and sewing if you want to work on your current projects throughout the day while watching the presentations.

Pre-registration for this FREE day of presentations is not required, unless indicated for specific activities, like Beaded Keychain Making. Stay tuned for the full line-up of presenters and events!

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10AM-3PM - Beaded Keychain Making - iBead with Deb E (pre-registration required, as spaces are limited)

10AM-3PM - Open Beading & Sewing Table (subject to seating availability)

10AM-11AM - Presentation TBA

11AM-12PM - The Chief Zzeh Gittlit Dancers

12PM-3PM - Pompom Keychain Making - Brianna Capot-Blanc - Supported by Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle (drop-in, each keychain takes ~20 minutes to make)

1PM-2PM - Our Relationship to The Drum - Blake Shaa’koon Lepine (if you have a drum please bring it)

2PM-3PM - How We Play Handgames - Blake Shaa’koon Lepine (bring a small token to hide in your hand. [e.g. a coin, a small pebble, small concealable trinket])

The Local Presentation of New Indigenous Theatre Readings will take place from 3PM-4PM in the Multi-Purpose Room. You are invited to stay and join us for this free event!

Beaded Keychain Making

By iBead with Deb E

Saturday, April 18th - 10AM-3PM (Doors ~9:45AM) - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT

Join Deb Enoch - iBead with Deb E - for this one day Keychain Making workshop!  Make your own keychain with ready to bead kits provided. Each kit will have a keychain cutout from commercial tanned hide with a cabochon (various pictures in a plastic dome) glued on, a keyring, threaded needle and cardboard insert. Beads will be provided onsite so you can pick your own colours. All materials in your kit and beads you choose are yours to keep. We will be using the one needle flat stitch instruction. Participants are encouraged to bring their own pair of small scissors and a thimble if they need it, as well as a packed lunch.

Pre-registration will be required for this event and is available on Eventbrite (click here).

One of the in-person Cultural Presentations taking place on Saturday April 18th in the Multi-Purpose Room, KDCC!

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Deb Enoch, owner of iBead with Deb E.

Providing beadwork, such as moccasins, earrings, hair accessories, card holders, key rings and many more items. Also provides beading workshops on these items. Loving and learning traditional beading, one bead at a time.

Deb’s ancestry is Northern Tutchone and Upper Tanana and is a member of White River First Nation. Deb grew up in Snag with her adopted parents Jimmy and Lena Enoch, then moved to Burwash Landing to attend elementary school. While growing up she was always surrounded by her mother and grandmother sewing. She learned from them as well as her aunts and the ladies in the community of Burwash Landing.

Deb lives in Whitehorse now and has taken up sewing after she retired from NorthwesTel in 2020. She joined the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre sewing group and has been involved with creating projects with them. Projects such as the Yukon Quest Dog Blanket, podium banners for the Kwanlin Dunn Cultural Centre, Yukon Quest patches, and most recent “Northern Winter Traditions” banner. She also provides beading workshops in person for YG Mental Health & Wellness and through Zoom with Connected North for schools across Canada. She also has provided workshops with CYFN, Taku River Tlingit First Nation, Public Service Commission, Gwaandak Theatre, and Elder Active. Deb also works part time with White River First Nation in their Language Revitalization department. Recording and creating learning materials with current Elders and fluent speakers.

Image courtesy of iBead with Deb E

The Chief Zzeh Gittlit Dancers

Saturday, April 18th - 11AM-12PM - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT

The Chief Zzeh Gittlit Dancers are a Traditional Fiddle dance group originally from Old Crow, Yukon and our performers origin is Gwitchin. The fiddle was introduced to the Gwitchin people more than 100 years ago. Because of its rich fiddle culture and remoteness, Old Crow has one of the strongest and most distinct fiddle traditions in the Yukon. Our dancers are dedicated to keeping this powerful traditional alive. With every step, we tell a story of rhythm, grace, and passion. When you hear an Old Crow fiddler play for a dance, you are not only listening to a fiddle tune, but also to the rich history, culture, community, and rhythm unique to the North. Chief Zzeh Gittlit Dancers captivate audiences with their innovative and high energy dances and music. Fiddling and dancing are inseparable in the North. We hope that you will enjoy the high energy that comes with these dances. Chief Zzeh Gittlit Dancers is grateful for the opportunity to share our energy and heart when we are performing. We carry a piece of every performance with us, and we hope that you take a small piece of our passion with you as you go. Mashi Cho (Thank you)

One of the in-person Cultural Presentations taking place on Saturday April 18th in the Multi-Purpose Room, KDCC!

Image courtesy of The Chief Zzeh Gittlit Dancers

Fur Pompom Keychain Making

By Brianna Capot-Blanc - Supported by Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle

Saturday, April 18th - 12PM-3PM - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT

One of the in-person Cultural Presentations taking place on Saturday April 18th in the Multi-Purpose Room, KDCC!

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Brianna Capot-Blanc is a Youth Cultural Apprentice at Whitehorse Aboriginal Women's Circle, where she centers beading, traditional artwork, hide work, fur design, and pompom crafts. Over the past two years, she has led her own workshops, taught pompoms and beaded earrings, and supported fellow participants by sharing knowledge and assistance throughout sessions. She has also collaborated on shawl-making projects with her sister, with beadwork work currently in progress. Brianna is dedicated to guiding participants to create their own pompons—whether as keychains or hat adornments—by taking a patient, step-by-step approach and ensuring everyone is supported. In today’s workshop, she’ll provide supplies and instructions for making fur pompoms.

This is a drop-in workshop with no pre-registration required. Keychains take ~20 minutes to make

Image courtesy of Brianna Capot-Blanc / Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle

Our Relationship to The Drum

By Blake Shaa’koon Lepine

Saturday, April 18th - 1PM-2PM - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT

A Tlingit perspective on our relationship to the hand drum and how it was used in traditional times vs. how we use it now.

If you have a drum please bring it.

One of the in-person Cultural Presentations taking place on Saturday April 18th in the Multi-Purpose Room, KDCC!

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Blake Shaa’koon Lepine is a member of the Carcross Tagish First Nation and a full time visual and preforming artist here in the Yukon. Blake has been drumming and singing since her was a young boy and brings with him half a lifetime of drumming knowledge and experience. 

Image courtesy of Blake Shaa’koon Lepine

How We Play Handgames

By Blake Shaa’koon Lepine

Saturday, April 18th - 2PM-3PM - Multi-Purpose Room, Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse YT

A tutorial on the quick history of handgames and how it’s played followed by an instructional group practice. 

Bring a small token to hide in your hand. (e.g. a coin, a small pebble, small concealable trinket).

One of the in-person Cultural Presentations taking place on Saturday April 18th in the Multi-Purpose Room, KDCC!

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Blake Shaa’koon Lepine is a member of the Carcross Tagish First Nation and a full time visual and preforming artist here in the Yukon. Blake has been drumming and singing since her was a young boy and brings with him half a lifetime of drumming knowledge and experience. 

Image courtesy of Blake Shaa’koon Lepine

«Gagnez votre ceinture… ou peut-être… Eh bien, j'ai ça sous ma ceinture.» / “Earn your Sash… or maybe… Well I got that under my Sash”

Live Stream Performance by Jesse Fulcher Gagnon

Sunday, April 19th - 2PM-3:30PM (Online Waiting Room Opens @ ~1:55PM) - Digital via Zoom, Yukon Time

This project is a collection of 1050 long-form performance for video pieces performed 5 times a day, 6 days a week over 8 months that will be compiled together digitally to create my first Métis Sash.

Pre-registration is required for this digital event.

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Jesse Fulcher Gagnon is a Meìtis experimental artist whose scattered mind leaves him frequently moving between mediums. With projects generally involving digital media in some way, he combines performance and installations, projections and animations, or just junk food and bad jokes. Having spent years working in theatre, particularly theatre for young audiences, his work is often silly and always absurd. His practice explores themes of repetition and the self through pieces that blur the line between art and entertainment.

Image by Studio D YXE

Indigenizing Theatre Practice

By Ramona Big Head

Sunday, April 19th - 4PM-5:30PM (Online Waiting Room Opens @ ~3:55PM) - Digital via Zoom, Yukon Time

Ramona will share her literature review on Indigenous theatre in Canada. She will also share her extensive experience with "Grass Roots" children's theatre on the Blood Rez. Ramona's presentation will show the importance of honoring and sharing our stories the best way she knows how... on stage!

Pre-registration is required for this digital event.

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Ramona Big Head is Kainai and her Blackfoot name is translated as "Many Sweat Lodge Woman" (Akaistsisskaakii). She began her teaching career 30 years ago in a high school English and Drama classroom. She has written and directed about 30 drama productions since 1996. She has also sat on various theatre board and committees. She wrote a play about the 1870 Baker Massacre for her M.Ed Thesis. She is currently a PhD candidate out of UBC and is the Assistant Superintendent with Peigan Board of Education in Southern Alberta.

Image courtesy of Ramona Big Head