Indigenous Winter Market: craftsmanship, a means of bringing people together
Indigenous Winter Market at parc national d'Oka
Video transcript: Indigenous Winter Market at parc national d'Oka
Text on screen: Indigenous Winter Market 2023 at parc national d'Oka
On December 2 and 3, Tourism Kanehsatà:ke and parc national d'Oka held the first-ever Indigenous Winter Market. The event was a great success, attracting over 4,200 visitors.
Text on screen: Véronique Vincent; Tourism Project Manager; Kanesatake
Vincent: It's been a great success, we're really pleased. The feedback from the artisans is really positive. Some artisans have even sold out. There's a dialogue going on. That's the beauty of a market, it creates dialogue.
Text on screen: Raphaëlle Langevin; Matsheshu Créations; Mashteuiatsh
Langevin: It's a great time for Indigenous craftspeople to showcase our culture. Crafts are as much about cultural reappropriation as they are about building bridges with non-natives to tell them about our culture. And for them, it's a way of showing their appreciation in their daily lives.
So, I think we're going to keep doing what we're doing and keep bringing it to as many people as possible.
Text on screen: Wennekerakon Tiewishaw; Bedlam & Blossom; Kahnawake
Tiewishaw: I met like a hundred different people so far and they are all asking me about the meaning behind our shirts, the meaning behind our arts. It's been really cool to explain that to people and have a conversation about it to them.
Vincent: The idea of an Indigenous winter market grew out of the tourism development of the last 2 years. Over the past 2 years, we've been doing a lot of research, forming partnerships and gaining experience in the field. I've been working on future projects with the director of Parc national d'Oka for about 15 months now. We really want to develop the community aspect, and its presence within the park.
It's a bit like saying, "How can we make tourism with our current realities?". Our current realities are: we have no infrastructure, lack of resources. We have to think outside of the box, and I said to myself, "We should do an Indigenous market.".
Text on screen: Jeremiah Johnson; Mohawk Mushrooms; Kahnawake
Johnson: The Indigenous market that was put on today by the organizers was exceptional. I mean, my hats off to them. They did a wonderful job. This is my first large market, where I have to produce a lot of mushrooms for an event and it seems to be working well.
Vincent: It fuels our desire to continue working hard to develop Kanesatake's tourism. It's a first accomplishment. It's food, it's human food, it's food for the soul.
Photos and video courtesy of ISC.
In December 2023, Kanehsatà:ke Tourism and Oka National Park collaborated to launch the first ever Indigenous Winter Market. The event was a resounding success, attracting over 4,200 visitors and capturing the attention of various local media outlets.
More than 50 Indigenous artists and exhibitors from across Quebec came together in Oka National Park to celebrate and share the richness of their culture.
In addition to engaging with skilled artisans, visitors participated in a variety of introductory workshops on basketry, pyrography, and beading. They also enjoyed performances ranging from dance and traditional songs to metal and rap!
Event organizers were moved to see how eager people were to learn more about the history and cultures of Indigenous Peoples.
Browse the photos below to learn more about the event.
Photo gallery
Will E. Skandalz and DJ Digital Fire Obzidion performing their rap in the outdoor tent.
The beading activity attracted many curious onlookers who left smiling with their earrings.
Over 4,200 visitors came to meet the artists and craftspeople.
Leash Aggression performing their metal act under an outdoor tent.
Beadwork featured at the Indigenous Winter Market.
At the pyrography workshop, participants crafted Christmas tree ornaments.
Event organizers were thrilled by the visitors' curiosity and interest.
Traditional songs and dances were showcased during the 2 day event.
Matsheshu Creations engaging with visitors.