Dorothy Thunder is a Plains Cree (nêhiyawiskwêw) from Little Pine First Nation, Saskatchewan and full-time Cree instructor in Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta. She completed her BA in Native Studies in June 2002 and MSc in Linguistics in December 2015. She co-authored the book, Beginning of Print Culture in Athabasca Country, and she received the Graduate Studies Teaching Award in recognition of excellence in the performance of teaching duties in the Faculty of Native Studies.
Colleen Power is an award-winning, bilingual singer/songwriter and broadcaster based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Colleen’s songwriting adventures come to life as host of Bell Fibe TV 1’s mini-series Sing Me Home, when she explores her province’s most uniquely named communities to learn their stories, and then compose and record songs about them. Colleen is also News Director at CHMR – Memorial University Radio, where you can hear her feature the best local artists on her program, Spot On.
Malaika Hailey is a Kenyan-born soul and R&B singer-songwriter who now calls Calgary her home. Her difficult childhood led to a challenging upbringing. Through perseverance and practice, she has developed the tools to thrive despite the chaos. Malaika’s music is inspired by her surroundings and loved ones, and she believes in leading with love and pursuing elevation in all things. She aims to heal, uplift, and awaken people through her music.
Kwavvy, a Nigerian musician based in Calgary, Alberta, started his music career two years ago to express emotions and convey real-life events. He believes music can change the world for the better and aims to inspire people with his melodic and soothing Afrobeats sound. With a passion for deep, meaningful music, Kwavvy’s love for the art keeps him rooted and alive.
Dr. Richard Vedan, Secwepemc Nation, is Professor Emeritus University of British Columbia, past Director First Nations House of Learning; and Sr. Advisor Aboriginal Affairs to UBC’s President. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force for 11 years retiring in 1977. Current research addresses intergenerational trauma/PTSD with Indigenous populations and military veterans. Richard and his wife Barbara recently marked their 54th anniversary with children and grandchildren.
Sunflower Duo is an international duo, formed in the fall of 2022; Maria and Alla have already performed multiple times in St. John’s over the past several months. They perform Ukrainian classical and folk music and enjoy sharing this music with new audiences in Newfoundland.
Samar is a Sudanese-Canadian multi-disciplinary singer from Ottawa. Samar has been performing for as long as she can remember. Samar is currently working on original music.
Ainsley McNeaney is a Montréal-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music educator and composer with an honour’s degree in Percussion Performance from the University of Toronto. Recent collaborations include Hat Trick with Rag & Bone Puppet Theatre, Needle & Thread with Miller-Paivio Productions, Portico II at the Centaur Theatre, composing music for Montreal circus artist Bekka Rose and lending vocals to the soundtrack of a coronavirus documentary. McNeaney has released two full-length indie orchestral pop albums under her own name, and her new solo project, Pet Lion, is on the horizon.
Kelly Van Damme is the Head of Learning & Engagement at Remai Modern. She has worked at the museum since 2004, and previously she taught art and education courses at the University of Saskatchewan. Kelly is passionate about her role as an educator and focuses on helping people learn about themselves through experiencing and making art. As Head of Learning & Engagement she supports a team of educators in learning their voices and their potential for positive influence throughout the community.
Priscilla Kerr Hatae is a Brazilian Physician who came to Canada as a Manitoba Skilled Worker Immigrant with her husband, and they were sponsored by The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg arriving in early Feb of 2007. They became Canadian Citizens by the end of April 2011. She is mother of two handsome boys who were born in Winnipeg.
Thankfully, she spent 5 years and over 5140 hours being trained as a TCM Dr and Medical Acupuncturist inside the Orthopedics Department of the University of Sao Paulo, School of Medicine. Brazil’s University of São Paulo remains the highest ranked institution in South America according to The Times Higher Education (THE) for 2023. From that residency in TCM, she gained a Pain Management TCM certification and later on a Fertility TCM certification and worked with several Private and Public Fertility Clinics in São Paulo. She operated a business inside Manitoba Clinic for 16 years, called Prairie Acupuncture Clinic.
As the spokesperson & Board Director member of the CMAAC and The Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture Association of Manitoba, she was the one who fought with the Health Minister and officials to be removed from that list and to be added to Essential Businesses’ List. Thanks to her, they were able to reopen and she guided them with all the guidelines of Safety since 2019 to every practitioner in MB. Since 2009, she has been volunteering to represent and defend the rights and duties of thousands of members all over Canada and MB. Her dream is to get Acupuncture recognized as a Health Care Profession like other Canadian provinces and to open her own Wellness Center.
