A collection of local Indigenous stories are being shared in a new way.
Called Indigenous Cities, the series of videos have share local First Nations stories related to specific locations. A map is included to allow people to listen to the stories in the location they're talking about, like skwtsa7s (Deadman’s Island) and the territory of the Məθkʷəy̓.
"These stories hold the wisdom of sχʷəy̓em̓ (ancient stories), historical knowledge, and personal experience long since obscured by the city landscape," states Savage Society, one of the organizations behind the series.
They worked with the National Arts Centre (NAC) Indigenous Theatre (which also launched video series in Saskatoon and Ottawa).
The Vancouver stories are told by the likes of Ronnie Dean Harris, Russell Wallace and Olivia C. Davies. All are multidisciplinary artists.
"Listeners from across the country can choose to follow as many stories as they wish on their journey, using their personal listening devices," states the NAC in a press release. "Local audiences can experience offerings on location in each city, if provincial restrictions allow, or join national audiences in experiencing the stories in the comfort of their own home using virtual maps online."
This is the inaugural year for the series. The videos launched this month as part of Indigenous Heritage Month.
"Indigenous Cities celebrates the work of Indigenous artists in this uncertain time, and it is work that can be undertaken safely at home during the pandemic,” says NAC Indigenous Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Loring in the release. “The project will impact our national consciousness by highlighting Indigenous stories from the cities we all share. All of our cities occupy the traditional lands of Indigenous people, and these stories will reveal the connections Indigenous people have to these places."
