Posts by Circles

The key to the survival of the Rocky Cree language may very well reside in the discovery of a 350 year old Rocky Cree womannear present day South Indian Lake. The Rocky Cree communities are the six First Nation communities in Manitoba that live along the "Churchill River". The discovery of this long lost Indigenous woman will now serve as an impetus for reviving the Rocky Cree language. William Dumas, works as the First Nations Language & Culture Facilitator for Manitoba First Nations Education Resource Centre (MFNERC) and he is worried about the survivability of the Rocky Cree language given that it…

The 2023 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) will be taking place in Nova Scotia from July 15-23 and will feature 16 different sporting events including 3 Traditional Sports -  "Canoe/Kayak, Lacrosse, and 3D Archery". If you know somebody, or if your kids will be participating at the NAIG 2023, or if you just interested in sports, especially Indigenous sports and you can't make the long trip to Nova Scotia; you're in luck, as you can stream the games from the comfort of your TV, computer, laptop or your phone. Just click HERE and click the blue Live Stream Button.

View a full agenda at this link.

The Manitoba government will "waive" all processing fees indefinitely for those Residential School Survivors who were stripped of their traditional Indigenous name upon entering into a Residential School. The move is in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action # 17 which called for "all levels" of government to waive all administrative fees for Survivors trying to get back their real Traditional names.The BC Government did a similar move earlier this year when they allowed Indigenous People to reclaim their names like when they allowed a baby boy to have his legal name, "λugʷaləs" to appear on…

A Big Thank You We would like to thank all those who helped make National Indigenous Peoples Day a huge celebration! The number of volunteers from the schools, resource agencies, individuals and teams of volunteers! The teepee which was brought by retired Sgt. Lester Houle and his helper. The 7 Eleven truck and caterers. Staff at Sgt. Tommy Prince Place. All the entertainers, exhibitors, artisans, CFR Facilitators and Staff and so much more! Donations of water, snacks, books and items for the prize draws. Longer acknowledgements to follow.In the mean time, please select this Link for some aerial drone footage…

Several Circles for Reconciliation staff were at this year's Vision Quest spreading the word on our reconciliation efforts. We were there to invite other organizations to participate in our Sharing Circles. Our team members visited many tables and had a wonderful time speaking to many future partners. The CFR table had invitations and registration forms indicating that we are hosting a National Indigenous Peoples Day Event on June 21st at Sergeant Tommy Prince Place, at the old exhibition grounds, 90 Sinclair St, Winnipeg, Mb.

If you're planning to go to this year's "sold out"  2023 Vision Quest Conference & Trade Show, please come by our booth and say hello to some of our staff and volunteers! Last year's conference had a record "1300+ participants". A key theme of this conference is to bring an eclectic group of businesses, innovators, and entrepreneurs, to discuss and exchange ideas about community and Indigenous economic development initiatives and activities. You can find more info at this link.

Zach Whitecloud has become the first Indigenous hockey player from Sioux Valley Dakota Nation to join the ranks of the National Hockey League's (NHL's) Vegas Golden Knights. Whitecloud was born November 28, 1996 in Brandon, Manitoba, and was raised on Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. He went to high school in Brandon. He played with the Virden Oil Kings in the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League and junior hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the Western Hockey League. He signed his first contract with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 and another six-year contract in 2021. Whitecloud was instrumental for putting…

We  ran a post last month about William Prince, from Peguis First Nation and his Grand Ole Oprey debut, on February 18. Prince recently appeared on Winnipeg's CTV Morning Live. Prince said that new singers to the Grand Ole Oprey stand on a cut out circle from the original Grand ole Oprey. His new record came out on April 14 and you can hear one of his songs at this link. Prince refers to his music as a 'declaration to joy' and I found it very unpretentious cause he sings from the heart. --Rick Demas

The "Manitoba Theatre For Young People’s" (MTFYP) award-winning production, of Frozen River (nîkwatin sîpiy) is playing at the Young People's Theater in Toronto, Ontario. The play centers around two 11 year old girls; a Scottish and a Cree girl and was sourced from both traditional Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and western sources like records from the Manitoba Archives. The play seems to originate when Lord Selkirk immigrated to southern Manitoba in 1812 and settled on present day Winnipeg. The play has a temporal element beginning in 1812 and cumulating in the present day, while incorporating an element of reconciliation. Tickets can be…