Cultural revitalization among Quebecs' First Nations
Weaving sweetgrass in Odanak, Louise
What is Circle of Voices?
Through web design, creative collaborative activities (such as photography and dancing), biographical narratives and multimedia recordings of traditional practices, Circle of Voices addresses the contemporary realities of some First Nations’ cultures and identities. The central theme of the research project is cultural revitalisation, understood as the reclaiming, restoring and regenerating of relationships with the land, with ancestral practices, with belief systems and with each other. This website offers a non-linear form of navigation: - By interacting with the wheel, you can discover the multimedia contents of the research through the themes of lands, languages, arts and spirits, and hear the testimonies from knowledge holders. - In the section 'Youths' stories', you are invited to delve into the biographies of young women from the Nehirowisiw (Atikamekw), Abenaki and Wolastoq (Maliseet) Nations, who are the central collaborators to the research. The vision of the project is to counteract the demeaning representations of Indigenous cultures and identities, as well as to contribute to the digitalization and the dissemination of Indigenous knowledge and rights.
On social media
These accounts are used to raise awareness about the current realities experienced by Indigenous peoples, by sharing news from and/or about Indigenous peoples. A strong focus is the advocacy for Indigenous rights and climate justice.
Who is behind Circle of Voices?
It was initiated by Louise Romain, a French digital anthropologist and activist-researcher, willing to challenge the traditional ways of sharing academic research by bridging it with new technologies and the arts, framed within the defense of Indigenous rights. The women who took part in the research project are: Marie Kristine Petiquay, and Lisa Aubin Bérubé, Ivanie Aubin Malo, Jessica Ann Watso and Raphaelle OBomsawin.