Marking 11 years and many cultures

Celebrating this year’s theme of global Indigenous cinema and cuisine at Devour!, the festival opened Oct. 20 with a Mawi’omi.

The gathering, which took place on the Wolfville waterfront, featured Mi’kmaq culture and traditions through traditional dancing and drumming. Students from two schools, Kings County Academy and Landmark East, attended.

Organized by Garrett Gloade from Millbrook First Nation, the event featured two drumming groups from Sipekne’katik, emcee Michael Denny from Eskasoni and head male dancer Noel (Juni) Julian, from Potlotek in Richmond County, Cape Breton.

On Oct. 21, a panel discussion looked at the challenges facing First Nations performers, cultural and culinary voices in film, media, television and on stage. Moderated by Fiona Kirkpatrick Parsons, the panel included writer Tomson Highway, chef Joseph Shawana, plus teacher and actor Becky Julian.

Highway described how he was born in a snowbank on the Manitoba/Nunavut border to a family of nomadic caribou hunters. Raised offreserve, he said this country has unimaginable wealth in terms of nature.

For many years, Highway poured himself into the creation of Canada’s premiere Aboriginal theatre company, Toronto-based Native Earth Performing Arts. He has written five books, including a recent memoir, and several children’s books.

One of his concerns is the power the internet holds, making Aboriginal youth forget their native tongues “faster than the Indian residential schools.” He said he believes art has a role in the work of healing for Aboriginal Peoples.

Shawana, who is Odawa, part of the Three Fires Confederacy, said he was brought up knowing that food is life. He learned from his mother, and quickly fell in love with authentic Indigenous cuisine.

A professor, chair of Indigenous

Culinary of Associated Nations, and the Indigenous culinary advisor at Centennial College in Toronto,

Shawana is also the force behind the award-winning Indigenous restaurant, Kūkŭm Kitchen.

He said he is keen to teach “as much of our food system as possible. There is a gap in land-based knowledge.”

Eight Indigenous chefs collaborated on multiple events throughout the week, including the World Street Food Rally that took place at Waterfront Park.

Lia Rinaldo, managing director of Devour!, said the pandemic gave festival organizers lots to negotiate, however, “This hybrid festival makes it possible for us to bring Devour! to an even wider audience.”

Calling himself a Cree country musician, Highway put on a fundraising concert on Oct. 21 with proceeds going to the Glooscap First Nation and youth. He has a new country CD about to be released.

The festival’s other director Michael Howell thanked advisory panel member Zabrina Whitman of Glooscap First Nation and Shawana for their contributions.

This was the third year the festival has been headquartered in an old apple warehouse in downtown Wolfville. Howell said the festival now has a 10-year lease on the building from benefactor John Lindsay and his wife.

As a result, he is hopeful that Devour! will be able to extend its programming throughout the year.