UPCOMING PROGRAM: The Art-e-facts of Storytelling: Indigenous Perspectives Saturday, June 23rd from

Meet ARTCi’s First Nations Elder Nk’xetko on Saturday, June 23rd from 1pm -3pm at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site. You are invited to listen to Nk’xetko’s story telling and view her quilts, drum, artefacts, and photos. Hear the inside story of her experiences of Residential Schools and discuss the process of truth and reconciliation.

Nk'xetko shares some of her personal stories and artefacts. Photo by Lori Sherritt-Fleming

Reflections:

The Art-e-facts of Storytelling: Indigenous Perspectives – Sat, June 2, 2pm – 4pm

ARTCi’s Elder, Nk’xetko and theatre and Indigenous artist Shelley MacDonald were at Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site on Saturday, June 2nd for a day of sharing their Indigenous perspectives.

Shelley reflects, “It was a great event where we had the opportunity to engage the public through Indigenous storytelling. I loved the way that Elder Nk'xetko set up her personal artefacts and quilts for the public to see, touch, hear and smell. It was indeed a sensory exploration of her history, and it comfortably drew the audience into her story. We had many people of all ages stop and ask questions.”

Shelley MacDonald provides Indigenous insights. Photo by: Lori Sherritt-Fleming

Nk’xetko conveyed that she enjoyed describing to visitors how she made her quilts with “stitching, love, prayers and good energy.” Shelley and Nk’xetko had a circle of chairs set up in the Seine Net Loft with a medicine wheel quilt in its centre.

Shelley says, “The quilt provided a lovely narrative for the history and legacy of the Shipyards. I had many conversations with the patrons about its meaning and how it linked to the cultures who gathered here in the past and present. One patron’s observation that the trickster stories and legends from her Taiwanese upbringing were very similar to our Indigenous ones, particularly struck me. We spoke about how we were all inspired by our discussions around the medicine wheel quilt.”

ARTCi’s presence allowed for further exploration into some of the themes found in Lyana Patrick and Ashli Akin’s exhibit 'The Suitcase: Intergenerational Healing Through Traces of the Past' that also opened the day. The exhibit represents the particular realities of Lyana Patrick's grandmother, a Carrier (Dakelh) woman’s day-to-day life from 1948 to 1998, which highlights the special meaning of intergenerational relationships. Lyana shares the healing journey she undertook after the loss of her First Nation’s grandmother, Gramma Aloo in this profoundly personal multi-media exhibition.