February 28, 2020
(Photos from 2019 Sealebration festivities)
Last year’s hugely popular Nattiq Sealebration events will return to the NAKA festival this year – featuring a sealskin workshop, arts market and a northern-inspired menu.
Mark your calendars! You don’t want to miss these fascinating events:
- Nattiq Sealebration: Sealskin Workshop, March 2-4, 10:00-6:00, Centre Square Mall upper level (the empty store space by A&W)
Eight NWT Artisans will be taking part in this multi-day workshop, led by Indigenous fashion designer D’Arcy Moses. The artists will learn to refine their sealskin sewing skills to create high-quality products for a modern market. The workshop itself is not open to the public, but visitors are invited to watch the creations take shape through the viewing windows.
- NWT Art Market, March 3-5, 11:30-5:30, Centre Square Mall upper level (top of the stairs)
Northern arts and crafts, jewellery, stone carvings and more will be showcased at the NWT Art Market, including many of the sealskin pieces that were crafted earlier in the week. Be sure to take in live music and NWT Tourism’s 360 degree virtual reality goggles. A mini-theatre featuring Tlicho films will also be showcased at the Art Market, including: The Woman Who Came Back, Diiga Wolf’s music videos, Three Feathers, and The Tlicho Nation: Tlicho Online Store.
- Indigenous Cultural Gala, March 7, 7:00pm, Chief Drygeese Centre, Dettah.
The second annual Indigenous Cultural Gala returns, showcasing artwork throughout the evening. Click here for ticket information.
ITI is pleased to provide support for each of these events.
Gourmet dishes featuring seal, fish, rabbit, and birch syrup will also be served at a ‘Taste the North’ event, held at the Museum Café in the Price of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.
View the full NAKA Festival schedule
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“Seal is deeply respected and valued by the Inuit and Inuvialuit of the NWT. It is harvested from the wild and all parts are used. Traditionally, nothing goes to waste, from the oil that is burned in the qulliq (lamp), to the skin that provides warmth for a cold winter,” says Johanna Tiemessen, Manager of Fine Arts and Crafts with ITI. “This Sealebration is about refining the skills of our Indigenous artisans who work with seal and fur, and sustaining traditional arts and crafts as an important contribution to our creative economy.”