Yukon First Nations Art and Culture on Display at the Adäka Cultural Festival

News Release

Government of Canada supports the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association

June 26, 2015 – Whitehorse – Department of Canadian Heritage

Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament (Yukon), on behalf of the Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, today announced funding of $25,000 for the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund.

This funding will enable the Association to present the 5^th edition of the Adäka Cultural Festival, which is taking place from June 26 to July 2, 2015. The Festival will feature more than 200 Aboriginal performing and visual artists from all 14 Yukon First Nations, as well as national and international Aboriginal artists. The festival will consist of 44 performances including folk and world music, dance, theatre and interdisciplinary performances.

The Festival will also offer outreach activities including visual art workshops, artist demonstrations and community drumming circles.

Quick Facts

The Adäka Cultural Festival is one of the largest Aboriginal festivals in the North with participation from all 14 Yukon First Nations.
The Government of Canada has also provided festival funding of $230,000 over two years (2014–15 and 2015–16) through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency’s Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) program.
The Festival is administered by the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association, a not-for-profit organization committed to growing, promoting and celebrating strong and sustainable Yukon First Nations arts, culture and tourism sectors.
The Canada Arts Presentation Fund gives Canadians increased access to the variety and richness of Canada’s culture through professional arts festivals, presentations of live professional performances and other artistic experiences.

Quotes

“The Adäka Cultural Festival allows Canadians to access an array of artists and artistic performances, both local and international, while celebrating our unique First Nations culture in Yukon. Thank you to the Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association and the many volunteers for bringing this year’s Adäka Cultural Festival to life.”

—The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

“Now in its fifth year, the Adäka Cultural Festival has proven itself a leader in presenting top-quality Aboriginal programming, through a mixture of contemporary visual and performing arts. Our Government is pleased to provide this continued support.”

—Ryan Leef, Member of Parliament (Yukon)

“The Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association is extremely grateful for the continued support of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Arts Presentation Fund. This contribution will allow the Adäka Cultural Festival to present world-class First Nations artists and performers to local, national and international audiences. Featuring artists of this calibre helps the Festival to continuously raise its bar of excellence, while providing inspiration for our emerging artists and performers.”

—Charlene Alexander, Executive Director, Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association