Talent show a big hit

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The annual fall talent show and sober dance hosted by the Lac La Biche Canadian Native Friendship Centre drew a large crowd to the Jubilee Hall on Saturday, November 8.

"It was a very good turnout," said Friendship Centre president Ralph Whitford. "We didn't expect that many people."

The evening supper and sober dance was so successful people were asking the Friendship Centre to hold more, Whitford said. "People were telling us we should have more but it's a lot of work."

Sober dances are becoming more popular because people feel secure and safe knowing there will not be any problems, Whitford said. The booze-free environment also allows people to bring their kids along, rather than leaving them at home.

An added attraction at this year's talent show and sober dance was a "Fiddlers' Jamboree." A dozen fiddlers from various communities in northeast. Alberta gathered to share tunes, techniques, and tall tales.

The fiddlers jamboree set the mood for the afternoon talent show, featuring competitions in singing, jigging, and fiddling, with first and second prizes awarded in each category.

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Learning the art

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Kim Ziervogel, Sweetgrass Writer, Edmonton

First Nations arts and crafts are respected world wide, according to Martha Campiou, president of the Canadian Native Friendship Centre in Edmonton.

The reason for that respect was highlighted at a two day art conference and trade show held in Edmonton on Nov. 19 an 20.

Aboriginal Business Canada approached Campiou to organize the art conference where artisans and craft makers would learn more about the marketing side of their trade.

Emerging and established artists came together for the conference. They learned about European and other international markets and how to tap them. There were seminars on selling venues, taxation on and off the reserve, how to approach galleries and museums, how to present work at shows and identifying public need.

Moccasins and bead work are always in need, claimed Campiou. Quill work and moose tufting are also popular. Campiou recommended artisans continue with these items.

"People want things they consider authentic," she said.

A seminar on copyright was also presented. This is an important issue for First Nations artists, said Campiou.

"We make something and we don't even think about it. Somebody will buy it. The 'Made in China' product came from some person coming to Canada, took our beadwork back home and mass produced it," said Campiou. "We see that happening with our Dreamcatchers. They are made worldwide. We, as native people, are so trusting. We share, we teach, not knowing they're going to make big bucks out of it."

Similar art conferences have taken place in Vancouver and Winnipeg. The Edmonton conference was mainly for Alberta artisans, said Campiou, but it attracted people from B.C., Saskatchewan, and the North West Territories as well.

Invited speakers included art gallery owner Linda Kennard from Edson, and Lou Lynn from B.C. who facilitated a workshop on preparing an artist's biography.

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