Due North: Pre-Conference Workshop, Beading Workshop

Due North: Next Generation Arctic Research and Leadership Conference is hosting several pre-conference workshops on Wednesday, November 4th and Thursday, November 5th. Most workshops will take place in the Taylor Family Digital Library (TFDL) room 403/405. Click here for more information on all the workshops For a small fee ($25/workshop), we invite all interested parties to take part in these workshops. Beading Workshop Mrs. Annie Smith is a 90 year-old Elder of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation. She has been sewing and selling her sewing since she was a girl. She sold purses and dolls to tourists coming off the train in Carcross in the 1920’s, before the highway came through. When tourists began coming up the Alaska Highway in their motorhomes, collectors from France sought her out to buy her work. Her work is commissioned by the Yukon Premier and by her First Nation. She has also taught many people how to sew over the years. She believes that “There is no such thing as can’t do!” Come with a willingness to try and you’ll be amazed at what Mrs. Smith will be able to guide you to do. Ms. Dianne Smith, Mrs. Annie Smith’s daughter, is a younger Elder of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation. A home tanned cushion cover which she beaded toured in Europe as part of an awardwinning interior design for the Canadian House and Home magazine in the winter of 2015. Dianne works with students at Jackson Lake in a land-based healing program run by Kwanlin Dun First Nation, and when they want to learn sewing as part of their healing process, she brings her Mom out to teach them. On one hand, this will be a hand-on three hour sewing class, where students will undertake a simple project under the instruction of Mrs. Annie Smith and Ms. Dianne Smith. Students who are interested in working with First Nations Elders will have an opportunity to learn from two who have a lot of experience teaching. They can ask questions as they work. It is considered good practice when learning from a First Nations Elder to make sure you connect with their families, and students will be able to see how Dianne and her mother interact as they teach together. In mainstream academic culture there is the idea that knowledge exists in an abstract plane; this is a chance to learn from knowledge that exists in the relationship between Dianne and her mother. If you are interested in joining this workshop, please register and pay by clicking here or visiting our website: https://arctic.ucalgary.ca/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=24 Any questions, please email acuns15@ucalgary.ca or phone 403-220-7515

Location:

Taylor Family Digital Library

Speaker:

Nicole Bauberger, Dianne Smith, Annie Smith

More information at http://www.ucalgary.ca/events/calendar/due-north-pre-conference-workshop-beading-workshop