Canada West Performing Arts Festival

Posted on May 1, 2023

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The traditional territories of the Treaties 6, 7, and 8 Peoples encompass the majority of Alberta. Many First Nations continue to make their homes on today’s prairies: Siksikaitsitapi (including the Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani Nations), Tsuut’ina Nation, Îyâxe Nakoda (comprising the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley First Nations), Cree, Nakoda Sioux, Dene and Saulteaux, among others. The Otipemisiwak Métis Government governs five Territories within Alberta, distinct from the province’s eight Métis Settlements. Many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit, both from here and as visitors from elsewhere, have helped care for these lands for generations. We recognize that they have traditions and relationships with the land far outstretching the arrival of settlers.

We are extremely grateful for these lands on which we reside, work, and play. We make this acknowledgement as an act of gratitude and reconciliation. While championing the arts across Alberta, we intend for our work to contribute to the valuing of traditional art forms and result in greater opportunity for the creative Indigenous talent who walk these lands today.