Silver Skate Festival

Feb 9-19, 2024 • Laurier Park

Edmonton's longest running winter festival!

ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ
âcimowin
Storytelling



Made possible by the Heart + Soul grant from

EPCOR

Gather under the stars on our snow couches on the west side of the boathouse and enjoy these fascinating stories.

Indigenous families lived and survived the seasonal cold in various ways. Winter shelters were lived in seasonally and used as a place of meeting and to warm by the fire and visit. Cold days and nights became the best times to tell stories to one other and share experiences of adventures about hunting, trapping, fishing, snowshoeing, and wood gathering.

The stories were not just meant for entertainment, but to bestow a collective knowledge of life and learning to the young, as well as pass on the importance of ceremony and blessings. Through funding from the EPCOR Heart + Soul Fund, Silver Skate was able to hire a sound engineer and record stories from three elders which will be shared on location in Hawrelak Park between February 11-21 between 6am-11pm. The stories will also be available via download so we can all sit outside, star gaze, and listen to these incredible stories.

Elder Francis Whiskeyjack

Elder FrancisRead bio

Opening

Early Days

First Language

Time to pick berries

Northern Lights

First Sweat

Long Hair

Respect

Triggers

Work Stories

Who Are You - Balance

Flags

Tree of Life

Healing Through Tradition

Space Age

Advice for the Next Generation

Song

Elder Elsie Paul

Elder Elsie

Smudge Prayer

Nurturing Parents

Community Relationships

Calendars

Grandson's Letter

Wakes

Wisdom - Little Elders

Water

Generation to Generation

Sweat Lodge

Rocks

Buffalo

Bored

Healing Through Laughter

Elder William Sewepagaham

Elder WilliamRead bio

Opening Song

Introduction

"I was mentioning about the Little People..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"The first story is about up north, Wood Buffalo Park..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"All these stories I'm telling today are very short..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"A story about this elder in Saskatchewan..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"This next story is about an Inuit story..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"This next story is about a prospector..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"All these stories I've told about the Little People..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"This is about an old man, his name is Old Man Blackbird..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"Old Man Blackbird must have had 30-40 cans full of money..."

ENGLISH

CREE

"Old Man Blackbird's treasure is still there..."

Thank You

Silver Skate is extremely grateful to have had an opportunity to collaborate with members of the local Indigenous community and present their chosen winter stories through Night Sky ᐋᒋᒧᐃᐧᐣ

Thanks

Elder Francis Whiskeyjack

Elder Elsie Paul

Elder William Sewepagaham

Indigenous Consultant
MJ Belcourt-Moses

Executive Producer
Erin DiLoreto

Producer
Erin Birkenbergs

Sound Recording & Editing
Aaron Macri

Graphic Design
Greg deJong

FESTIVAL GRANTORS & PARTNERS
Edmonton Arts CouncilFunded by the Government of CanadaAlberta Foundation for the ArtsAlberta Government
EdmontonWinter City EdmontonMammoetStephensons Rental ServicesSuperior Tent Rentals
Pattison MediaGlobal EdmontonExplore Edmonton

All Festival Partners

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SILVER SKATE FESTIVAL

The mission of the Silver Skate Festival Society is to provide a free family-oriented winter celebration blending sport, recreation, arts and culture, showcasing various skating disciplines and promoting outdoor activities in Alberta.

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