Thursday May 11, 2023

The Moose Hide Campaign began in 2011 when Paul and Raven Lacerte were hunting moose along the Highway 16 between the cities of Prince George and Prince Rupert in British Columbia, a stretch of road otherwise known as the Highway of Tears. Though the number is disputed, many women have gone missing or were murdered along this highway, many of whom were Indigenous.

The father and daughter felt deeply connected to the Carrier land around them and considered ways they could act, ways they could prevent future violence against women and girls. That morning, Raven caught a moose.

Since that hunting trip, the grassroots Moose Hide Campaign has bloomed into a national movement to raise awareness of the violence against Indigenous women and children and a solemn promise to not perpetuate that cyclic violence and grief.

“When we ask men and boys to become involved, we want them to feel like we’re calling them in rather than we’re calling them out.”

– National Youth Ambassador, Sage Lacerte

This year, people from all walks of life are invited to participate in the Moose Hide Campaign Day on May 11, in-person in Victoria, B.C. or virtually from anywhere. The Moose Hide Campaign has scheduled a sunrise ceremony livestream, a general plenary livestream, multiple live virtual workshops, a livestream of the Walk to End Violence Against Women and Children in Victoria, B.C., and a fast-breaking ceremony livestream. Participants can register here.

“Healthy, loving masculinity; that’s the antidote.”

– CEO of Moose Hide Campaign, David Stevenson

As of this year, the Moose Hide Campaign has given out its four millionth pin. Raven Lacerte says the moose hide represents a piece of medicine from the land and signifies a commitment to honour, respect, and protect the women and children in your life.

Staff and students can pick up moose hide pins from either Indigenous Support Centre (F209 at NDC and P407 at EDC) to wear to show support of the campaign and as symbol of their promise to not perpetuate violence against women and children.

This week, hundreds of staff, students, industry partners and community members came together to celebrate Indigenous Food, Fashion, and Music at the second annual RBC Reaction by Collision Community Event. Hosted at RRC Polytech’s Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, the event showcased Indigenous culture and arts in Manitoba and highlighted the importance of creating space for Indigenous entrepreneurship.

“The longstanding friendship between RBC and RRC Polytech and the spirit of community and collaboration connects us back to our strategic commitment of reconciliation, our shared journey, where Indigenous leadership and guidance take the lead and work with us to guide us on the best way forward, together,” said Fred Meier, President and CEO of RRC Polytech, during his speech to start the event.

The event treated guests to delectable cuisines from local chefs, a haute couture fashion show featuring student models, a crafters’ market with local artisans and businesses, a panel discussion, and a drumming performance from student-led Indigenous culture group OGICHIDAA. Juno-award nominated Indian City capped off the spectacular event as the grand finale.

“What each of our partnering initiatives and programs have in common is that they drive human connection,” Herb ZoBell, Vice President, Commercial Financial Services, Indigenous Markets at RBC, said. “They provide unique channels for people to connect with their ideas, and most importantly, with one another.”

RBC Reaction by Collision is designed to converge industry, academia, and students to grow networks, seek advice, and launch careers. RBC Future Launch found that 85 per cent of all jobs are found through the strength of a network and not through the resume.

RRC Polytech students volunteered to model some of the pieces featured during the event. Kylla Harper, from the Pathway to Health Programs, was one of the students who modelled Gayle Gruben’s Inuit designs.

“It was very nerve-racking waiting backstage for my turn, but as I walked on the catwalk, my confidence grew,” Kylla said. “I loved seeing different Indigenous cultures represented. It goes to show that we have so much to explore still within our own communities.”

Since the event, Kylla has received an outpouring of support from her circle, which she said has made her “smile with pride.”

Miranda Harper, an RRC Polytech alumni and drummer in the local rock band Venus Man Trap, took part in the event’s panel discussion and shared her experience as an Indigenous musician with students and community members.

“For me, I make music to feed my soul. I never look at the fame and fortune of it because I feel like it can take something away from what you do,” Miranda said. She reminisced during the panel about one of the best gigs she’s ever done:  National Aboriginal Day in the early 2000s at The Forks, where she played to just five people.

The event was held at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae, a building named by Elders-in-Residence and translates to, “Where Creator Sits – Brings Light.” The building was designed with the intent to bring together the community, to build connections and create bridges. The College commissioned Indigenous artists Jackie Traverse, who attended the event, and KC Adams for artwork on the fourth-floor ceiling and the Roundhouse Auditorium, respectively.

With RBC’s support of RRC Polytech’s In Front of What’s Ahead comprehensive Campaign, the College has been able to provide students with the Indigenous Pathway to Information Technology Program, access to Ten Thousand Coffees Mentorship program, and projects like the Reaction by Collision events series. Collaborative events with RBC like Reaction by Collision have helped more than 5,000 students network with industry professionals and community leaders in Manitoba.

Join R-Crew in F209 on Thursday, April 27 from 5pm-8pm for a Paint Night with local artist Cheryle Dreaver.

“I haven’t taught the moccasin one as a paint night, but I would like to in acknowledgement of all the little ones recovered at residential schools across Canada. The rooting and flowering is about grounding and life. I could see this as a powerful teacher and meaningful to all participants.”

Cheryle Dreaver

Paint supplies and light refreshments will be provided.

When: 5pm-8pm, Thursday, April 27

Where: F209, NDC

To register, please email Terri-Lynn at tlanderson@rrc.ca.

Indian City

Indian City is a fusion of pop, folk, and rock with an ever-rotating roster of talent. The Winnipeg-based band features different Indigenous superstars with each album, bringing together a masterful mix of energies to every recording and each live performance while expressing the modern conscience of Indigenous People. The band was founded in 2012 by the late Vince Fontaine.

Indian City’s fourth album and Fontaine’s final project, Code Red, is a 2023 Juno Nominee for the Contemporary Indigenous Group of the Year Award. In the spirit of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Call to Action #83, Indian City invited non-Indigenous artists like Jim Cuddy, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Chris Burke-Gaffney to collaborate on Code Red.

In the spring of 2022, Warner Music Canada signed with Indian City shortly after Fontaine’s passing in January. The band pre-released “Star People”, “Wannabe”, and “The Path” each with their own music videos before Code Red was re-released on September 30, 2022, to coincide with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Indian City has been recognized on the international stage since its founding in 2012, and has been honoured with several awards, including the Western Canadian Music Award, the Indian Summer Music Award, the Native American Music Award, and the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award, among many others.

On April 19, 2023, Indian City’s lineup at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae will feature Jay Bodner, Neewa Mason, Gabrielle Fontaine, Pamela Davis, Lawrence “Spatch” Mulhall, and Rich Reid. Join us for Indigenous Food, Fashion, and Music: an RBC Reaction by Collision Community Event and witness Indian City’s stellar energy onstage. For more information, check out the program post for the 2023 RBC Reaction by Collision.

Are you curious about RRC Polytech? An exciting opportunity is coming up soon – register for a campus tour and get first-hand knowledge from current Indigenous students as they guide you around campus and answer your questions.

Tours will take place at the times and locations below:

• Notre Dame Campus: Friday, April 21, 2023 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
• Notre Dame Campus: Friday, April 21, 2023 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM
• Exchange District Campus: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM
• Exchange District Campus: Tuesday, April 25, 2023 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
• Exchange District Campus: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
• Exchange District Campus: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Registering for your tour is easy!

1. Click on the link above for the tour you’d like to attend
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Register
3. Click Create Account and fill in your information
4. Finalize your registration

INDIGENOUS SERVICES AND SUPPORTS AT RRC POLYTECH

There are many services and supports that Indigenous students can access to make the most of their time at the College:

Indigenous Student Support Centres

• Provides a welcoming home away from home where students can smudge, participate in events, cultural teachings and ceremonies, or spend time with friends. The student support centres include a computer lab, kitchen, phone, study area and lounge.

Elders and Knowledge Keepers

• Our Elders-in-Residence are here to support education through Indigenous ways of teaching, learning and leading. They play an important role in student and staff health, wellness, and cultural and spiritual development.

Indigenous Liaison Advisor

• The Indigenous Liaison Advisor is the first point of contact for new and returning students of First Nation, Métis and Inuit ancestry. The advisor can help with questions related to programs, support and guidance through the application process, and admission requirements.

Academic Liaison and Resource Coaches

• The Academic Liaisons and Resource Coaches offer tutoring and coaching – both one-on-one and in groups. They can help students with learning needs, as well as study skills, goal setting, and time management, so that students can move forward in their courses with confidence.

Navigation Coaches

• The Navigation Coaches are the first point of contact for current Indigenous students and can help with everything from finding your way around campus, problem-solving, sharing important resources and information, understanding College processes, as well as connecting to other support team members as well as accessing community services such as childcare.

Counselling Services

• Counselling Services are available to help students work through personal struggles, develop skills to manage better, and enjoy their College experience.

Student Employment Services

• Student Employment Services provides personalized support and direction to students and recent graduates seeking summer, part-time, full-time and temporary employment. From job search strategies, cover letter and resume writing, interview preparation, employment application forms, informational interviews and current labour market information, a variety of assistance is available. We also work to build relationships with employers to ensure Indigenous students have employment connections and have a voice at the hiring table.

R-Crew

• The R-Crew is made up of student volunteers that take on various roles aimed at easing new students into college life. They are a great resource and super role models who want to make students feel welcome, while creating a support system to ensure your success. Students helping students!

There are many opportunities to assist you financially in your education, and as an Indigenous student, there are specific opportunities just waiting for you to apply. From student aid to awards and bursaries, reach out to the Administrative and Financial Officer for help navigating these processes and learn about what may be available.

Language connects us and moves us forward. Students who join Introduction to Anishinaabemowin will be guided by language instructor Corey Whitford in developing language skills in Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language) through Anishinaabe cultural worldview and teachings.

“I get to teach the language and fundamentals, which in turn will teach the next generation. We’re ensuring the continuity of the language,” said Corey Whitford.

The course focuses on the language and culture of the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe. Students will practice the alphabet, develop understanding of the double vowel system, learn basic grammatical structures and establish basic writing skills while experiencing and engaging unique, authentic practices like developing personalized greetings, learning traditional songs, and having basic conversations.

“If you’re Indigenous and you’ve never had an Indigenous language course taught to you, this will definitely inspire you to anchor into your roots,” said Corey. “It’ll allow you to feel connected to your ancestors. A lot of us are trying to learn how to be Anishinaabe and speak Ojibwe and I want to invite everyone to come and learn the alphabet, learn how to express emotion in the language, learn how to use emphatic expressions properly, and learn how to honour your ancestors.”

Classes take place every Tuesday and Thursday between May 2 – June 20. Connect with friends, family, and members of your community in your traditional language in a fun and welcoming environment focused on practicing and experiencing Anishinaabemowin.

No books or supplies needed.

Details:
LANG-1038 An Introduction to Anishinaabemowin
May 2, 2023 to June 20, 2023- Tuesday and Thursday, 5-8pm
Where: Manitou a bi Bii Daziigae, 319 Elgin Ave., Winnipeg, MB
Instructor: Corey Whitford
Cost: $252.00

Register online:
Learners can register here. If your fee is being covered by a sponsor, have your sponsor fill in and fax the sponsorship form and we can send them an invoice.

Register in person:
Learners can register in person at the Notre Dame Campus at D101 or our office E113 with cheque or money order. E113 does not take cash, so learners with an exact amount in cash may be able to pay in D101 or Building C on the 2nd floor at the Finance Office to pay after being registered.

Dawn Harris

Dawn Harris’s journey into fashion started when she envisioned her children and grandchildren (her babies, as she calls them!) lighting up the stage with their jigging, dressed to the nines in custom-fit, splendid outfits that matched their personalities and performances.

Dawn is a self-taught seamstress. She picked up the discipline from her mother Hilda, who’d sewn custom clothes for her and her twin sister growing up. Once she had her own children, Dawn decided that she wanted to contribute to her mother’s legacy—the legacy from which she drew inspiration, developed her own skill, and found artistic strength.

Designs by Dawn began in 2004 after Dawn started making square dancing outfits for her babies to wear onstage while they performed the Red River Metis Jig and square danced. The outfits in stores just didn’t have the striking personalities to match her babies’ performances, so she took the initiative to create the perfect outfits to complement their brilliant dancing.

Shortly after starting her brand, Dawn received orders to make custom traditional clothing: Ceremonial clothing like ribbon skirts and skirts and Pow Wow outfits like grass dancers, jingle dresses and fancy shawls. Designs by Dawn also started doing custom orders for weddings and square dance outfits for different communities around the world.

Designs by Dawn creates a variety of clothing and the brand’s main mission is to ensure the clothing is comfortable and custom-fitted to every body that wears them. Each order is created from Dawn’s own vision and her greatest accomplishment is knowing that her passion and gift for sewing brings happiness to people around the world.

Join Dawn at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae on April 19, 2023 for Indigenous Food, Fashion, and Music: an RBC Reaction by Collision Community Event and enjoy her brilliant jig and square dance fashion on the runway. For more information, check out the program post for the 2023 RBC Reaction by Collision.

Gayle Gruben

Gayle Gruben’s work reflects her dedication to causes that are deeply ingrained in community. In 2022, she created an amauti (a woman’s parka with a pouch in which to carry a baby) to memorialize the loved ones identified with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People and to honour their families. Gayle worked closely with families to properly commemorate their loved ones, and the amauti was featured in an exhibition at the Winnipeg Art Gallery in November 2022.

Gayle has been an artisan for 33 years, creating traditional Inuit garments with furs and hides. She is Inuvialuk and from Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, in the Invialuit Settlement Region of the western arctic. Gayle credits her discipline to her grandmother and her mother-in-law, who taught her the way to make traditional Inuit clothing, and to the College of the North Atlantic’s Textile and Fabrication program in St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she learned technical skills for pattern-making.

A mother to three adult children and grandmother to six grandchildren, Gayle is proud to share her Inuvialuit culture and traditions with anyone willing to learn. She had lived in many different provinces throughout her life before making Steinbach, Manitoba her home.

Join Gayle at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae on April 19, 2023 for Indigenous Food, Fashion, and Music: an RBC Reaction by Collision Community Event and encounter Inuit fashion right here in the heart of Canada. For more information, check out the program post for the 2023 RBC Reaction by Collision.

Olivia Nasikapow

Olivia Nasikapow taught herself to bead growing up, and that hobby turned into a fully-fledged career when she graduated from MC College in November 2022.

Olivia is a fashion designer from Missipawstik Cree Nation in Treaty 5 Territory. From a young age, Olivia’s parents encouraged her creative endeavours through arts and crafts and by showing her how to use the furs and leathers her father collected from out on the trap line. She learned the differences between the various leathers and furs, how each of them were used, and how the materials were able to keep them warm and safe through the seasons.

Olivia comes from a long line of artisans. On her father’s side, her great-grandmother Grace (Tobacco) Sanderson designed jingle dresses and traditional clothing, and her grandmother Priscilla (Sanderson) Nasikapow handmade clothing for her children. On her mother’s side, her great-grandmother Harriette (Greenleaf) Ballantyne and her grandmother Gladys (Ballantyne) Scott made tanned leather and moccasins.

Seeing the tanning process and the work that went into making clothes inspired Olivia to pursue fashion.

“I was determined to figure out how to elaborate on their designs and crafts with the collection I have recently made.”

Olivia Nasikapow

Olivia’s vision for her brand is to express the resilience and strength of Indigenous Iskwew (women), a testament to the work that she and the women that came before her have done to revolutionize and Indigenize fashion. The Winter Collection 2023 Traditional and Contemporary Indigenous Fashion includes nine jackets, women’s snow suits, casual and formal wear, mukluks, fur hats, and beaded accessories.

Join Olivia at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae on April 19, 2023 for Indigenous Food, Fashion, and Music: an RBC Reaction by Collision Community Event and experience her latest collection on the runway. For more information, check out the program post for the 2023 RBC Reaction by Collision.

Brownees Urban Bistro

Established in October 2018, Brownees Urban Bistro, a cultural catering company infusing Indigenous ingredients with Caribbean flavours and spice, was brought to Winnipeg, Treat 1 Territory by owner and head Chef, Melissa Brown; also known as Brownee!

With her passion for cooking, love for her Jamaican & Anishinaabe identity, and appreciation for the Indigenous foods sovereignty movement, Chef Brown thought it only made sense to offer Winnipeg a unique and elevated dining and tastebud experience.

Food and the opportunity to cook were surefire ways to engage the youth in Melissa’s neighbourhood growing up. Whenever places like Magnus Eliason Recreation Centre offered either, Melissa and her friends were always there; that experience launched Melissa’s journey to establish an urban Indigenous youth culinary program and Brownees Urban Bistro.

Brownees Urban Bistro fills a unique and thriving niche in the cuisine industry and has recently created an extension of her catering company to include luxury bannock donuts: Brownees Bannock Delights.

Brownees Urban Bistro & Brownees Bannock Delights can be found on Facebook & Instagram, and bookings can be made through her website.

Join Chef Brown at Manitou a bi Bii daziigae on April 19, 2023 for Indigenous Food, Fashion, and Music: an RBC Reaction by Collision Community Event and indulge in a fusion of Anishinaabe and Jamaican cuisine. For more information, check out the program post for the 2023 RBC Reaction by Collision.