Episode 60: Authentically Indigenous Holiday Market
Indigenous artists create a market to showcase the talent of the Indigenous community within Treaty 7
With the holidays approaching, a multitude of art markets pop up around the city, but one in particular stands out from the rest. This week, Living a Creative Life web series host Adora Nwofor talks with the founders of the Authentically Indigenous Market, Melrene Savoy-EagleSpeaker and Autumn EagleSpeaker, to find out the story behind the market what to expect at this year’s holiday event.
Melrene Savoy-EagleSpeaker says she had attended numerous markets as both an artist and a vendor, and wondered why the only Indigenous representation at these events was herself. Realizing there was a need for more Indigenous artisans to have somewhere to showcase their work, she and her sister, Autumn EagleSpeaker, took immediate action.
“I was like, we need more representation, it needs to be something. And (Autumn’s) like, let’s just do it! And I was like, okay, so we did it at the drop of a hat… I think we had two weeks to plan it. We just kind of put it out there and said somebody, everybody come. We had 15 vendors and it was great.
“And now, nine years later, we have over 250 vendors that apply every year, and we can only fit 70 in the in the venue, so we’ve outgrown it. But it really shows the demand, it shows the respect, it shows that community wants to support us and want to be there to help us kind of rise and showcase us properly.”
Savoy-EagleSpeaker says people will get exactly what the name of the market promises: an authentically Indigenous experience, with handmade arts and crafts, fashion and food from First Nations people from Treaty 7, as well as Inuit and Métis people who make Mohkinsstsis their home.
“We have moccasins, mukluks, we have Inuit carvings, we have beadwork. There’s food, there is dreamcatchers, there’s anything you can think that maybe you wanted to see, or you’ve wanted to see close up, because a lot of times people only see these items in museums. So this way you’re seeing authenticity of a family lineage, and you’re going to see the why.”
The Indigenous Holiday Market takes place the weekend of November 30 at the Kerby Centre Gym (1133 7 Ave. SW). For more information, check out the Authentically Indigenous website — and to find out what’s on in the art scene in Calgary, go to YYCWhat’sOn.ca. See you soon or maybe sooner on Living a Creative Life.
Tune into this episode of Living a Creative Life to learn more about the Authentically Indigenous Holiday Market happening at the Kerby Centre (1133 7 Ave. SW) on November 30 and December 1, 2024.
About the Living a Creative Life Web Series
As a salute to the thousands of Calgarians who are living creative lives, Calgary Arts Development has launched this web series to celebrate creative living in our city.
The Living a Creative Life web series, hosted by local activist and comedian Adora Nwofor and produced by Bamboo Shoots, will release a new episode each month, featuring stories of Calgarians living creatively.
Have a story to share? Email us at submissions@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.
Tune in and be sure to subscribe to the #yycLCL channel on YouTube for premiere reminders.
