Latest news with #ManitoAhbee
Winnipeg Free Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Massive tourism event kicks off in Winnipeg
An international tourism event expected to generate $4.6 million in local revenue has touched down in Winnipeg. Travel operators from across the globe convene in Canada annually for Rendez-vous Canada. This year, Winnipeg is the host site. The event began Tuesday and ends Friday. An estimated 1,500 people are expected to attend from countries as far flung as China and Australia. The conference is projected to support 24 jobs and elicit $290,000 in provincial tax revenue, a government news release reads. Last year, Edmonton logged an estimated $65 million in sales by hosting. Manitoba companies and destinations will be on display. Indigenous protocols should be followed, and Indigenous expertise will be interwoven in the event — Rendez-vous Canada worked with Indigenous Tourism Manitoba and Manito Ahbee beforehand. Rendez-vous Canada is nearly 50 years old. It's meant to showcase Canada to the global travel industry. — staff
CBC
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
New citizens get 'true Canadian experience' at Manito Ahbee Festival ceremony
For two decades, the Manito Ahbee festival has been showcasing Indigenous cultures, inviting all Manitobans to experience one of the largest powwows in North America. On Sunday, the festival at Red River Exhibition Park welcomed 43 new Canadians at a citizenship ceremony — a first in Manito Ahbee's 20-year history. The ceremony was facilitated by Suzanne Carrière, Canada's first Métis citizenship judge. "Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples is a responsibility shared by all Canadians, even new Canadians, as you're about to become," Carrière said during the ceremony. Carrière led attendees through an oath, later shaking hands with each of the new citizens as they were welcomed by Indigenous leaders. Manito Ahbee board chair David Dandeneau said it was a "joyful" experience to hold a citizenship ceremony at the festival, adding it was the "perfect setting" for new Canadians to experience the many cultures of their new home. "The Indigenous peoples were the first ones here. So the very essence of Canada is rooted in that. And I think if they want to have the Canadian experience, the true Canadian experience, they have to experience this," Dandeneau said. He said he hopes the festival will continue to hold citizenship ceremonies moving forward. Hugh Oates, who moved from Jamaica to Winnipeg about six years ago, said it was a joyous moment to celebrate Indigenous culture while becoming a Canadian citizen. "It was good, knowing that they have built this country and we are here with them. It's a good feeling knowing that we are enjoying the legacy that they put out for us," Oates said. His wife, Kera Blake-Oates, said "proud is an understatement" when it comes to becoming a Canadian. And achieving that milestone at Manito Ahbee "makes us feel very welcome." Oates said the family has tickets for the festival and they are excited to learn more about Indigenous cultures. Shortly after the citizenship ceremony, a powwow featuring hundreds of dancers in regalia began. Outside, photographer Katie Lambe said she was working on a nearby film shoot but she felt that the drums were calling to her. A Canadian citizen originally from Newfoundland, Lambe said experiencing her first powwow at Manito Ahbee on Sunday was a "life-changing" experience. "It was the most beautiful display of community," she said, getting emotional while recounting what it was like to see a sea of dancers dancing in unison. "The singing and the drums, the dancing, the glitter. It was incredible. I was just in awe of the entire thing, " Lambe said. Lambe said that in that moment she felt "lucky" to live in Manitoba, a province with "such a beautiful, vibrant community of Indigenous people." Dandeneau said the powwow experience "touches you in the most profound way." That's why the new Canadians were introduced during the powwow's grand entry at noon on Sunday. "If you honour and respect your fellow man, or women, or whoever, that's where you establish bonds and you establish reconciliation — true reconciliation," Dandeneau said. Citizenship ceremony held at one of the largest powwows in Canada 27 minutes ago Duration 1:59 New Canadians take their citizenship oaths during the 20th edition of Winnipeg's Manito Ahbee festival, one of the largest celebrations of Indigenous culture in North America.
CBC
18-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Citizenship ceremony held at one of the largest powwows in Canada
New Canadians take their citizenship oaths during the 20th edition of Winnipeg's Manito Ahbee festival, one of the largest celebrations of Indigenous culture in North America.
CTV News
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Manito Ahbee Festival celebrates 20 years
Winnipeg Watch The sights and sounds on the final day of the Manito Ahbee Festival.
Toronto Star
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Manito Ahbee: Manitoba powwow, one of North America's largest, celebrates 20 years
WINNIPEG - For many familiar with Canada's powwow scene, Maggie White is known as the first lady of the jingle dress. The late Anishinaabe woman earned the title after popularizing the jingle dress regalia and dance style at powwows in the late 1960s to the early 1980s. In the years since, the dance, known as a healing dance, has become an official category at powwows. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW White's family is honouring the matriarch and the jingle dress at this year's 20th anniversary of the Manito Ahbee Festival in Winnipeg, one of the largest powwows in North America. Jocelyn White says it's hard to put into words what it means to pay tribute to the legacy of her grandmother. 'I (am) excited. I (am) happy that we're able to do this at such a big venue to honour our kokum,' she said from her home on the Naotkamegwanning First Nation in northwestern Ontario. At the powwow festival, the family is set to host a jingle dress special called 'Honouring the Shiibaashka'igan,' which translates to jingle dress in Anishinaabemowin. A special is a separate contest during a powwow usually sponsored by an individual, family member or organization. There are different oral histories of the origins of the jingle dress dating back to the early 20th century. Maggie White's story stems from when she became ill as a young girl. Her grandfather dreamed of a special dress for her adorned with shiny metal cones. When she wore it and danced, it helped cure her ailments. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Attending Manito Ahbee has been a longtime White family tradition, and Jocelyn White has been going since it started in downtown Winnipeg. She has watched her nieces dance and listened as men in her family performed with the Whitefish Bay Singers, a drum group founded by her father and an uncle. 'I was always so proud ... when you hear the music, it gives you a good feeling,' she said. It's this pride of culture, family and traditions that prompted organizers to start Manito Ahbee two decades ago. A group of Indigenous people in Winnipeg, including the festival's current executive director, Lisa Meeches, came together to develop the festival after discussing the need for an event to showcase First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures that could also be an inclusive place for all. Derek Hart has been involved with the three-day festival since day one, as the owner of a company that oversees security. He has also taken on roles with the event's education and logistics teams. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'I remember that first year. It was a bit of a concern because nobody had bought tickets ahead of time. But once the festival got going and the powwow ... it was a good turnout,' Hart said. 'It was just a really proud moment to see the festival start.' Manito Ahbee has also evolved. It used to line up with the Aboriginal People's Choice Music Awards, now known as the Indigenous Music Awards, before it moved to the summer. It now takes place on the May long weekend. There have also been different venues and, in recent years, it has settled at Red River Exhibition Park at the edge of the city. Programming changed as feedback came in from attendees. This year's event includes a teepee-raising contest, a fashion show and speeches from youth leaders. There's also a marketplace with food and retail vendors. One of the festival's mainstays has been the crowning of Miss Manito Ahbee. The title was created to honour the memory of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and is awarded to a girl each year. Grace Redhead, who has been with the festival for the past 12 years, got her start with the Miss Manito Ahbee ambassador program. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'The crowning of Miss Manito Ahbee is really emotional to see,' said Redhead. Contestants go through a rigorous adjudication process, demonstrating leadership skills and knowledge about the missing and murdered. Former ambassadors have gone on to become authors, educators and musicians. Redhead's current role as powwow manager has her organizing the festival's main attraction — the powwow, which draws hundreds of dancers each year. There's typically 'chaos,' she said, while making sure everyone is in their positions for the kickoff, also known as the grand entry. 'It's a really nice moment once everything's going and you see all the hard work come together,' said Redhead. Running a festival of this size is no easy feat. It requires the help of managers and volunteers, many of them newcomers looking to learn more about the First Peoples of this land. The festival has made it a priority to work with immigrant and newcomer organizations. On Sunday, it's holding a citizenship ceremony for the first time. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'There's so many people that come, and it's not just Indigenous people. It's people of different nationalities just coming to participate,' said Hart. As the festival heads into its next 20 years, Hart and Redhead say they're most excited to pass on the torch to the next generation of organizers. 'I have no worries about the next 20 years,' said Redhead. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2025.
