Past Event
Celebrate with us through engaging speakers and interactive cultural performances
Understanding Truth and Reconciliation
Sep
30
Fri
Annual
Date & Time
Sep. 30, 2022 — Oct. 1, 2022
9:00 AM — 6:00 PM
This event occurs in the past.
Price
FREE
Join us on a journey of discovery, understanding and celebration through shared stories and experiences. In partnership with the Chippewas of Nawash Leaders In Training Program, Chippewas of Nawash Native Child Welfare, and Bruce Power, we invite you to sit with inspirational speakers and to learn from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers. Celebrate with us through interactive cultural performances and take time to reflect on our shared history as we move toward understanding, healing and reconciliation.
Sep
30
Fri
Annual
Past Event
Celebrate with us through engaging speakers and interactive cultural performances
Understanding Truth and Reconciliation
Date & Time
Sep. 30, 2022 — Oct. 1, 2022
9:00 AM — 6:00 PM
This event occurs in the past.
Price
FREE
Join us on a journey of discovery, understanding and celebration through shared stories and experiences. In partnership with the Chippewas of Nawash Leaders In Training Program, Chippewas of Nawash Native Child Welfare, and Bruce Power, we invite you to sit with inspirational speakers and to learn from Indigenous Knowledge Keepers. Celebrate with us through interactive cultural performances and take time to reflect on our shared history as we move toward understanding, healing and reconciliation.
Session and Activity Schedule
Each session is free of charge and all are welcome; however, space may be limited. Please use the form below to register for each session you would like to attend.
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Friday, September 30
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Time | Performer | Topic | Venue | Registration |
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10 AM - 2 PM | Flag Messages and Planting | All are invited to help place 10,028 orange flags to honour the lost children, families, communities, and Survivors of Residential Schools. | Blue Sign - Millpond | Not Required |
2:30 PM | Opening Remarks Dan Skelton, President and COO, Blue Mountain Resort, Andrew Siegwart, President, Blue Mountain Village Association, and Chippewas of Nawash Leaders | Opening Remarks | Subaru Stage | Not Required |
2:45 PM | Bryden Kiwenzie (he/him) | History of Residential Schools and Cultural Performances | Subaru Stage | Not Required |
4 PM - 6 PM | Caley Doran (he/him) Take a Hike Trail Guide | Guided Hike Caley will guide participants up a Blue Mountain hike sharing treaty teachings, stewardship and earth sciences. Limited to 20 people. | Village Way Hiking Trail - Meet at Subaru Village Stage to check-in | Register Below to Attend |
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Register for Truth and Reconciliation Sessions at Blue Mountain
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Saturday, October 1
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Time | Performer | Topic | Venue | Registration |
---|---|---|---|---|
9 AM - 3 PM | Event Information and Orange Flag Pick Up | Registration check-in, information, orange flags | Petun Foyer in the Village Conference Centre | Not Required |
9:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Caley Doran (he/him) Take a Hike Trail Guide | Guided Hike Caley will guide participants up a Blue Mountain hike sharing treaty teachings, stewardship and earth sciences. Limited to 20 people. | Village Way Hiking Trail - Meet at Petun to check in at the Village Conference Centre | Register Below to Attend |
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM | Kairyn Potts (he/him) | Two Spirit Teachings and Life Promotion centring around queer Indigenous youth, youth in care, mental health awareness, Two-Spirit/gender identity, and life promotion. | Petun Room in the Village Conference Centre | Register Below to Attend |
11:30 PM - 12:30 PM | Classic Roots | Pow Wow Boot Camp: Classic Roots brings the heartbeat of the boreal north to life with his unique brand of Electronica and pow wow techno. | Petun Room in the Village Conference Centre | Register Below to Attend |
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | Bryden-Kiwenzie (he/him) | History of Residential Schools and the Impact of Generational Trauma | Petun Room in the Village Conference Centre | Register Below to Attend |
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Randall Kahgee (he/him) | Understanding Treaties | Petun Room in the Village Conference Centre | Register Below to Attend |
2:30 PM - 3:15 PM | Nyle Johnston (he/him) (Second session) | Mental Health, Blending Indigenous and Western Methods of Selfcare | Petun Room in the Village Conference Centre | Register Below to Attend |
Outdoor Cultural Performances and Market | ||||
1 PM - 6 PM | Indigenous Craft Market | Village Events Plaza/ Silver Bullet Lift Plaza | Not Required | |
3:30 PM | Group Photo | Blue Sign - Millpond | Not Required | |
3:45 PM- 4:00 PM | Blue Mountain, Bruce Power, Chippewas of Nawash Leaders in Training | Opening Remarks, Land Acknowledgement & Prayer | Subaru Stage | Not Required |
4:00 PM - 4:15 PM | Wabano Kwe Singers | Hand Drumming Demonstration Provided by the women of the Saugeen First Nation | Subaru Stage | Not Required |
4:15 PM - 5:00 PM | Bryden Gwiss Kiwenzie, Juno and Indigenous Music Award Winner Nominee and Niibishens Trudeau, City of Chicago Illinois Maestro Award Winner and Jingle Dress Dancer | Dance Medicine and Styles Featuring music from the Album “The Forgotten T.R.U.T.H” in a blend of vocal chants, hip hop, blues and dance. *Bryden will be providing the history of dance/styles during his set but more fluid and shouldn’t need to be listed. | Subaru Stage | Not Required |
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM | Classic Roots, Indigenous Music Award Winner and Motivational Speaker | Pow Wow Boot Camp Bringing the heartbeat of the boreal north to life with his unique brand of Electronica and pow wow techno | Subaru Stage | Not Required |
5:30 PM - 6:00 PM | Wabano Kwe Singers | Hand Drumming Demonstration Provided by the women of the Saugeen First Nation | Subaru Stage | Not Required |
Register for Truth and Reconciliation Sessions at Blue Mountain
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Performer / Speaker Bios
Open tabs or dropdown for bios.
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Bryden Kiwenzie
Born in 1984, Kiwenzie has Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi, Delaware, Oneida and Mi'kmaq ancestry in his bloodline. Originally from Cape Croker, Ontario and Indian Brook, Nova Scotia, Kiwenzie currently lives in Sudbury.
Kiwenzie grew up on the pow wow trail, beginning his foray into the Northern Traditional dance style at age two. By age four, Kiwenzie had written his first keyboard song. By age fourteen, he had composed his first pow wow song.
Round Dance & Beats (Powwow) fuses traditional First Nations vocal chants with hip hop and rhythm and blues dance beats. The album was mixed entirely on his iPhone, though he has since received a Canada Council grant to purchase conventional recording equipment.[4] Unlike the similar A Tribe Called Red, Kiwenzie performs many of his own vocals rather than sampling or recording other vocalists.
Round Dance & Beats (Powwow) has been shortlisted for the Juno Award for Indigenous Music Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2017 and was nominated for the Best Hand Drum Album of the year at the 2017 Indigenous Music Awards. -
Caley Doran from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation, is Red Cross Wilderness Advanced First Aid Certified, Certified Hike Leader and Indigenous Trail and Adventure Guide. rich-text, responsive-table
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Classic Roots
Classic Roots brings the sexy heartbeat of the boreal north to life with his unique brand of Electronica and pow wow techno. The Thunder Bay native is an award-winning producer and DJ who is impacting the music community with his fresh sound and meaningful collaborations with diverse artists.
Drawing inspiration from his life and culture, Classic Roots established his original sound by integrating First Nations songs with Electronica music. He navigates the unique sound of techno/house music while dancing to the beat of traditional Anishinaabe sounds, establishing a sense of cultural freedom that echoes throughout the electronic music scene. With inspirations such as Gina Turner, Daft Punk and “Justice” French Producer, Classic Roots has been able to develop his sound, which he has perfected through the use of a drum machine and the music software Reason 9.
In 2015 he was the recipient of the Best Pop CD award at the Indigenous Music Awards for Hack the Planet and his 2016 debut EP Deeply Rooted won Dada Life’s Best Track Award for his demo Coconut Kills. Dada Life received 1500 demos in less than 24 hours but Coconut Kills killed the competition.
Classic Roots is currently based in Toronto but carries the spirit of Northern Ontario with him. He acknowledges the importance of community building and is excited to share his passion through upbeat workshops for the soul, which include dance, cultural dance, fitness and DJ workshops. His workshops are largely offered throughout the Greater Toronto Area but extend throughout the country, including Northern communities. Classic Roots weaves optimism into his music and workshops, using it as a tool to inspire a greater sense of self-confidence in First Nations youth. Specifically, Classic Roots has delivered workshops through Mikw Chiyâm, which is a program that emphasizes skill-sharing to empower youth through mentoring and support, to reinforce a sense of cultural pride and encourage self-expression. -
Kairyn Potts (he/him)
Kairyn Potts (he/him) is a proud Two-Spirit winkte man from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation. Originally from amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton) he now makes his home in Dish With One Spoon Treaty territory in Tkaronto (Toronto) where he works as an Indigenous youth advocate, motivational speaker, resource developer, content creator, fashion model, actor, and comedian. His creative projects allow him to utilize platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Twitch to share his culture, his passions, and some laughs with others. His youth advocacy work centers around queer Indigenous youth, youth in care, mental health awareness, Two-Spirit/gender identity, and life promotion. -
Niibishens Trudeau
Niibishens is a jingle dress dancer from Wikwemikong Unceded Territory and Brunswick House First Nation. Niibishens has performed across Ontario and in the United States earning a Maestro Award for her solo piece in Chicago, Illinois. You can also hear Niibishens on Bryden’s newest Album the “Forgotten Truth” (the real untold history) and she is currently working on her first solo album. -
Nyle Johnston
Nyle Johnston’s work has been exhibited across many of Canada’s most important institutions, from the AGO and ROM to the Evergreen Brickworks and the Chippewas of Nawash Cultural Centre. His artistic practice is focused on illustrating stories of the Anishinaabe Nation in a variety of media in order to raise awareness of their unique histories as they in turn inform his process. He was born and raised on his beautiful reserve, Neyaashiinigmiing, on the Saugeen Peninsula (Bruce Peninsula) and took a keen interest in painting and art at a very young age.
Johnston has an established portfolio of work and is well recognized in Toronto. His original works are showcased at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) in the Jennings Young gallery (J.S. McLean Centre for Indigenous & Canadian Art). Johnston’s Diiyah Muh’gaanag (Our First Family) is a collection of images of spiritual beings, plants and animals based on Anishinaabe teachings. Drawn in a pictographic style, they tell stories of botany, astrology and the interconnectedness of all living things. Johnston currently lives in Toronto, Ontario, and is a contributing member to the Indigenous & Canadian collection at the AGO. -
Randall Kahgee (he/him)
Randall Kahgee is Senior Counsel to Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP and specializes in Indigenous rights law, with an emphasis on community-based processes and government-to-government negotiations.
Randall has worked with Indigenous governments across Canada and participated in significant agreements between Indigenous communities and provincial and federal governments on energy matters, including issues relating to the development of nuclear facilities, transmission lines, renewable energy projects, as well as environmental matters and the development of proactive strategies for engaging both proponents and government concerning mining and resource development. He has extensive experience in consultation and accommodation related issues, including the development and implementation of processes for the full expression of free, prior and informed consent. He has also been involved in the negotiation and implementation of land claim and self-government agreements and participated in a number of successful impact benefit negotiations.
Randall served as Chief of the Saugeen First Nation for four consecutive terms from June 2006 to June 2014. As Chief, he dedicated a great deal of his time to the reconciliation of the Crown-First Nation relationship and the full recognition, protection and expression of Indigenous and treaty rights. He has extensive experience in strategic development and in a range of governance related issues, including the development and implementation of laws, policies and processes. He also played a key role on a number of important regional and national bodies, including tasks forces on consultation and accommodation, justice, environment and treaties.
Randall is a regular speaker at conferences and law schools on Indigenous legal and political issues. Randall received his BA from York University and his LLB from the University of Toronto and is called to the bar in Ontario.
Randall is recognized by his peers as one of the "Best Lawyers in Canada" in the field of Aboriginal Law.


Registration Form
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