“We are an Ottawa-based festival that focuses on the education and celebration of Indigenous cultures in Canada and around the world. Join us August 2015!
The idea behind International Indigenous Festival is to welcome people from different Indigenous cultures every year, to Canada for three days. Every year we will support our invited guests by giving them venues to express their culture to a Canadian audience, such as with our inaugural festival Mana Māori. Through this, we hope to contribute to strengthening international partnerships between Indigenous cultures and peoples in Canada and other parts of the world.
By maintaining a constant emphasis on the importance of traditions and culture in modern times, we want to bring a part of the Māori culture to Canada, portraying both traditional and contemporary performances, exhibits and other activities.
Our motto: educate and celebrate!
What We Need & What You Get
We need funds to help set up activities and invite artists! With your help we can fulfill our goals of having activities that promote language learning and revival (such as lessons in te reo Māori!), beading workshops, cultural workshops, and performances of traditional dance, music and songs, while also promoting contemporary artists from the community.
But what do you get by helping us? Well, lot’s of things!
Donate $5, and you have our eternal, undying gratitude! (Thank you so much!)
Want to give $10? We’ll give you a shout out on our Facebook, Twitter, even on our Tumblr!
For $20, you can get an original beadwork piece made by one of our directors (choose from earrings or keychain!).
For $5 more ($25) we will send you an official International Indigenous Festival ‘Educate and Celebrate’….T-SHIRT! The shirt features the festival motto, “educate and celebrate”, in NINE Indigenous languages: Breton, Cree (in syllabics), Upper Sorbian, Nahuatl, Mixtec, Hawaiian, Māori, Lakota, and Tagalog (in Baybayin script). Check it out:
And you know what? We’ll also throw in a shout out on our social media with that shirt! (Yay!).
(Special thanks to members of the 2014 Indigenous Language Challenge Facebook Group for sending us translations!)
For $50 you will get that same awesome t-shirt, BUT with TWO beadwork pieces (mix and match! Either earrings AND a keychain, two earrings, or two keychains!).
Feel like donating $75? Well, for that, you receive an ALL ACCESS PASS VIP ticket to ALL the events, including ticketed workshops, concerts, talks and activities. Wow! Want to know who our guest of honour will be? It’s Tawaroa Kawana!
If you would still like to give more (how kind of you!) there is the option of donating $100, and you will receive an original print by one of our talented local artists…signed too!
What more could there be? Let me tell you! Do you want an all access/VIP pass, a pair of beadwork earrings OR keychain, original signed art print, AND cool t-shirt? You can! For $250 you can have all that!
Have an event coming up like a birthday or just need a really impressive photo-shoot? The super talented Shelby and Simon from Shelby and Simon Photography will make your photo dreams come true for $500 by being your photographers for the day! (Offer ends October 2015!). Here is just a taste of their amazing work:
But we’re not done yet!
There is one more special prize. This prize is for anyone who REALLY wants to be in on the action, almost a part of the team! That is why we are also offering a $1000 option. With this, you will be named an official donor to the festival, and we will thank you in our opening speech. Not only that, you will get everything that was offered in the $250 option (t-shirt, small beadwork, VIP pass, signed print), a shout out on all our social media pages, AND an original beadwork piece commissioned by you! Yes you! Tell us what you would like and we will work with you to make it a reality!
The Impact
Contributing to our cause will help us put on a festival that unites different communities, celebrating together regardless of language barriers or country borders. With your help, our inaugural festival will be a great success!
Other Ways You Can Help
If you would like to support us but cannot donate, please follow us on Facebook to receive event updates: https://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Indigenous-Festival/1477789605834323
Thank you.”
Visit their Indiegogo page to donate to the International Indigenous Festival: Mana Māori
Submitted by Anna, International Indigenous Festival
