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DETAILED SCHEDULE
MENU : Chef/Artist Lisa Myers with Sous Chef Shannon Myers
Throughout the three days, a delicious menu is offered including daily tea breaks and snacks, a Friday “Feast & Social” (featuring pickerel fish fry and roasted elk with wild rice, salad, roasted veggies and dessert), a Saturday evening dinner (featuring elk and vegetarian chilis, tortillas and fry bread with toppings, and dessert) and lunches on both Saturday and Sunday.
Vegetarian and gluten free options will be available at all meals.
PROGRAMMING PROCESS
Miiyuu Pimaastwiin: Living a Good Life has been designed to offer participants and guests an open and safe space to gather, discuss, and share experiences that inspire, strengthen, and revitalize the individual and the community of individuals gathered. The weekend program of wellness activities includes and combines both western and Indigenous cultural practices. The invited guests facilitators and leaders, as well as the overall concept of the symposium, has been thoughtfully curated with a vision to bring us further into our hearts with an emphasis on balancing a creative, positive, and healthy lifestyle.
The three days offer all a time to meet, listen, share, conspire, and create. Our team is honoured to host such a diversity of cultural and creative guests.
Miiyuu Pimaastwiin – PROGRAM DETAILS
FRIDAY
Opening & Welcome (4PM)
Native Women in the Arts’ board and staff will officially welcome guests and launch the inaugural Miiyuu Pimaastwiin symposium. Kerry Potts, NWIA Board Chair, will host this portion of the event which includes presentations by Cultural Leader and NWIA board member Jacqui Lavalley, NWIA’s Artistic Producer Erika Iserhoff, and the symposium’s Creative Director and Host Denise Bolduc.
Guest Orator: Leanne Simpson (5PM)
Leanne Simpson will open Miiyuu Pimaastwiin: Living a Good Life with her inspiring wisdom and creative approaches to the practice of balancing our hearts, emotions, intellect, and spirits.
MEDICINE & CEREMONY DISCUSSION (8PM)
Respected knowledge keepers, Juliana Matoush-Snowboy and Esstin McLeod, will share teachings and information of medicines and ceremonies for Indigenous women.
SATURDAY
HATHA-RESTORATIVE YOGA (10AM –CIT STUDIOS, 2nd Floor)
Lead Artist/Instructor: Christine Friday
Hatha Yoga with a restorative gentle approach that will relieve the effects of chronic stress and move the spine in all directions to promote greater well being. Creating better body awareness by connecting the breathe with a variety of postures and poses that can be modified to suit all levels of experience. You will come away feeling like your better self, centered, and awakened.
SHARING OUR STORIES: Guest Cultural Leaders (11:30AM)
Banakonda Kennedy-Kish Bell with Juliana Matoush-Snowboy, Esstin McLeod, Jacqui Lavalley, Dawn Avery, Pauline Shirt and Sadie Buck
Esteemed guest cultural leaders will share their stories and teachings focusing on balancing life challenges in contemporary times and in urban environments.
OUR STORIES: STITCH & SHARE (2PM)
Lead Artist/Instructor: Rosary Spence with Guest Cultural Leaders
Continuing in the context of sharing, Cultural Leaders will join participants in a beading-creation activity., This is an opportunity to continue the sharing of best practices to balance the emotional, physical, intellectual, and spiritual aspects of being. Rosary Spence will lead the beading circle and each participant will create a beaded key chain memory.
FEASTING OUR ANCESTORS & TRADITIONAL FOOD (6PM & 7PM)
Prior to dinner, we will feed our ancestors followed by a meal together. Cultural Leader Juliana Matoush-Snowboy will then lead a discussion on the importance of feasting our ancestors. Lisa Myers will join the discussion to speak of the diverse traditional and wild foods available to nourish healthy spirits.
ChocoSol: Mmmm, Chocolate (8PM)
If you like chocolate, you definitely want to stick around to experience ChocoSol’s informative demonstration and tasting!
SUNDAY
MINDFULNESS PRACTICES (10:30AM)
Practitioner: Elaine Smookler
This workshop will introduce participants to mindfulness and its relevance to our personal and professional lives. It will explore how our thoughts can lead to stress and anxiety and how, over time, a personal mindfulness practice helps us to bring focused attention to our emotions, thoughts, and actions. Facilitator Elaine Smookler will lead the group in mindfulness practices and discussions to show how mindfulness can help us be more attentive and aware, more resilient, less reactive, and more responsive in everyday life.
INDIGENOUS SOUND HEALING (1PM)
Artist/Educator: Dawn Avery
Drawing from her Mohawk heritage, Grammy nominated musician and Ethnomusicologist Dawn Ieriho:kwats Avery’s workshop will explore healing aspects of traditional and contemporary Indigenous music. Participants will leave with their own song and vision to expand their own creative projects within their community.
UNTIL NEXT TIME (3PM)
Jacqui Lavalley, Erika Iserhoff, and Denise Bolduc a offer short wrap up presentation.
SONGS & SOCIETIES (3:30PM)
Singer and Cultural Leader: Sadie Buck
As the Lead Singer of the Six Nations Women Singers, Sadie will begin by offering insight in the roles and impacts of Women Singing Societies in communities. Syncing our hearts, minds, bodies, and spirits, the symposium will conclude with Sadie inspiring and connecting us through songs.