On September 16, the Chan Centre, in partnership with Musqueam, will be hosting the Indigenous festival ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire).
The single day festival will include free daytime events, as well as evening performances that are free for Indigenous individuals and ticketed for others.
During the free daytime programming, there will be an artisanal market, storytelling for children in the rose garden, screenings of Indigenous short films and powwow dance workshops, among many other activities. Ticketed evening performances include musical acts flown in from all over the continent, with Black Belt Eagle Scout and Reservation Dogs composer Mato Wayuhi headlining the event.
When Jarrett Martineau — the in-house curator at the Chan Center, and lead programmer for the Come Toward the Fire festival — was hired, both him and Chan Centre director Patrick Carrabré noted that on-campus Indigenous engagement had not been “as robust as it could be.” Both were interested in “building more of a direct relationship with Musqueam,” especially since the university is located on Musqueam land. After reaching out to Musqueam for approval and their hand in the project, the Come Toward the Fire festival was created.
“September 30 is a day for reflection and for mourning … we wanted to do something that was a little in advance of that, and to give an opportunity for something a little bit more celebratory,” Martineau said. Also paired with celebration, it becomes an opportunity to learn more about Indigenous cultures.
“While I would say that the purpose of this festival is to not strictly educate people … I think that just by virtue of having everyone all in one place, you’re going to learn lots about everyone’s different experiences and see the diversity of Indigenous voices and perspectives that are all around you that you might not know about,” said Martineau.
The festival’s name is of hən̓q̓əmin̓əm origin, with “Come toward the fire” being translated from “əm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl.” This name, offered by musician Christie Lee Charles and elder Larry Grant, symbolizes “bringing people together, bringing people close [and] into the sort of circle of being able to express and experience Indigenous joy and celebration,” which Martineau believes is a perfect representation of the festival’s theme.
Given the partnership between the Chan Centre and Musqueam, the festival is interwoven with “elements of Musqueam” throughout the program. However, Martineau adds that they wanted to have a mix of genres integrated into the events.
“We also wanted to make sure that there was an opportunity to highlight local voices, so not just from Musqueam, but also from other nations and communities here in the city,” he said.
He acknowledges that some students and community members may be nervous about attending Indigenous festivals, with fears about their lack of knowledge or experience.
“I think that’s a big part of what we, in our collaboration with Musqueam, are trying to shift and to say ‘no, this is for everybody,’” said Martineau. “Everybody has a spot here. Everybody has an opportunity to come and be part of it.”
Tickets and more information are available on the festival’s website.
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