Indigenous Celebration Week
Indigenous Celebration Week is a celebration of Indigenous culture, teachings and languages that aims to share knowledge and create positive energy for the Indigenous community on campus and its allies. The Week features events which are led by Indigenous elders and other community members as a way to honor traditional elements within a contemporary setting.
How is ICW planned? Who's making the decisions?
ICW has an Advisory Committee that consists of FNMI representatives from Supporting Indigenous Languages Revitalization, First Peoples' House, Indigenous Students' Union and Faculty of Native Studies. All high-level decisions regarding programming, speakers, and visuals are made by the committee. The UASU has a coordination committee (consisting of staff and the VP Student Life) that handle the logistical and operational aspects of the event-planning, including the implementation of the Advisory Committee's recommendations.
What is the story behind the graphic for ICW?
The official artwork for Indigenous Celebration Week was created by Abigail Lee, a member of ʔakisq̓nuk First Nation. Read below for her statement on the work:
"Entanglement: Kin Carried Forward is inspired by Connie Fife’s Driftwoodwoman and its focus is on Indigenous women’s healing through relationality, memory, and community care. I wanted to explore how kinship lives in everyday acts of making, care, and responsibility.
The piece features multiple hands reaching and holding, with red ribbons weaving between one another, representing intergenerational connection and accountability. The red ribbons reference both the femininity of ribbon skirts and the teaching that red is a colour visible to the spirit world, offering pathways home. Some hands pass a needle threaded with beads, while others offer sweetgrass and medicines, showing how knowledge, healing, and creation move through shared practice.
I work in a digital linocut style that draws on the visual language of traditional carving while using contemporary tools. This approach reflects the continuity and adaptation present in the piece, and how kinship and cultural knowledge are carried forward over time."
If you would like to work with Abigail, or commission other artwork, contact her via her website.
