Conference Hosts: Canadian Museum of Civilization, Canadian Native
Arts Foundation, En'owkin International School of Writing
_______________________________________________________________
BEYOND SURVIVAL: THE WAKING DREAMER ENDS THE SILENCE,
April 16 - 18, 1993
BACKGROUND:
The impetus to plan, organize and stage the Beyond Survival
conference emanated from a group of concerned participants who
attended the International Indigenous Education Conference held in
New Zealand in December 1990.
While discussions in New Zealand focused on education issues
of indigenous peoples, the role that the arts and cultural
expression play in education and the learning process was not a
central component of the program. As a result, several indigenous
educators who were also writers, artists, and performers met in a
special session to address issues surrounding art and cultural
expression.
During the session, a contact group was formed with
representatives from Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific
Islands. A decision was made to organize a conference which would
address the particular and unique needs of indigenous people
working in various artistic forms of expression. The conference
would be used to stimulate dialogue and create support networks
around common issues affecting indigenous voice and expression.
Further discussion determined that Canada would serve as an ideal
site for this event. It was initially hoped that the conference
would be integrated with other events associated with the
quincentenary of the colonization of the Americas in 1992.
CONCEPT:
The convening of an international conference of writers,
performers and visual artists is the crucial first step towards
organizing and developing an international network dedicated to
serving and protecting the common needs and concerns of indigenous
arts and cultures.
It is expected that at least 250 representatives will attend
the Beyond Survival conference. Participants are being invited
from the Americas, the Circumpolar region, Australia, New Zealand,
the Pacific Islands, Japan, the Asian Pacific region, the
Caribbean, and Africa.
"Beyond Survival: The Waking Dreamer Ends the Silence" will
be a working conference to begin the process of developing global
indigenous-driven artistic networks and strategies. The format for
encouraging discussion will be varied. Workshops, panel
discussions, plenary sessions and keynote addresses will all be
utilized. It is hoped that simultaneous translation can be
provided in English, Spanish and French.
During the working sessions, participants will be encouraged
to plan both long and short term strategies for establishing
recognition of the significant role that the arts plays in the
perpetual development and preservation of indigenous cultures and
for promoting the development of indigenous arts as a means of
cultural survival and growth. Whenever possible, these sessions
will adopt indigenous procedures and protocol in the meeting and
decision-making activities.
The significance of such an important international gathering
cannot be overstated. The knowledge and information exchanged
between indigenous artists and writers alone represents an
opportunity for challenging the way in which indigenous voices and
creativity are perceived and interpreted as well as for guiding and
creating change. Therefore, a major portion of the conference
will
revolve around processes geared to establishing concrete
recommendations and commitments. However, since the event is being
held in Canada's capital city of Ottawa, the conference is also a
marvelous chance to showcase and celebrate indigenous art and
culture and to introduce new forms of artistic expression to a
multicultural, multilingual public.
Indigenous artistic expression will be highlighted through a
series of publicly held events such as readings, multimedia
performances, film and video screenings and musical performances.
An "open area" will be set up for those artists not on the official
schedule to share their works with the public and their
contemporaries. Also, a special area with audio-visual equipment
will be provided for visual and performance artists to share slides
and videos of their works.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES:
Since the early planning discussions in New Zealand, the main
goal of the conference has been to establish an internationally
representative body that works on behalf of indigenous writers,
performers and visual artists for the purposes of:
A) developing an ongoing organizational framework to create an
international database of indigenous writers, performers, and
visual artists from various participating countries;
B) developing an appropriate strategy to promote indigenous
artistic expression through information sharing, cooperation,
identifying common markets and developing catalogues of indigenous
peoples' works;
C) creating an international network to promote recognition of
the significant and ongoing contributions of indigenous artistic
expression especially in the areas of education, economics,
politics and social structures. This is particularly important in
those areas of the world where the voices of indigenous people have
been marginalized and appropriated.
This goal can be achieved through the attainment of the
following objectives:
1. identifying regional, national, and international indigenous
cultural and arts organizations and individuals;
2. developing courses of action for the promotion and
distribution of indigenous art forms to the world market;
3. developing methods for entrenching the role of indigenous
artistic expression in education, policy setting, community
development and leadership development;
4. organizing and developing strategies to gain national and
international support from the artistic community at large for
demarginalizing and increasing indigenous participation in the
arts;
5. dialoguing and establishing common ground regarding indigenous
world views, concepts and experiences and their impacts upon the
environment, politics, sociology and community development;
6. identifying ways in which indigenous voices have been
marginalized, silenced and appropriated through colonization;
7. developing corrective actions to overcome factors endangering
cultural preservation and identity;
8. providing various opportunities and forums for artistic and
cultural expression by the writers, performers and visual artists
in attendance.
Beyond Survival will affirm and contribute to the resurgence
of indigenous cultural and artistic expression and creativity. It
will provide a forum to strengthen the status of indigenous artists
within their local, regional and national communities. The
conference will highlight the concerns and talents of indigenous
artists by providing an opportunity for showcasing indigenous
artists, for developing indigenous networking strategies for the
promotion and distribution of indigenous art works on the world
market and by creating an international database of indigenous
writers, visual and performing artists.
Through these efforts it is hoped that the Beyond Survival
conference and its participants will increase the accessibility of
indigenous artists and their works; provide an ideal international
forum for cross-cultural cooperation; re-assert the important role
of the arts in indigenous communities; and
contribute to the creation of accurate portrayals of the histories
and ongoing struggles of indigenous peoples around the world.
Finally, and perhaps most significantly, this gathering will
validate the critical role that the arts have played and continue
to play in the preservation of indigenous cultures.
ORGANIZATION:
Beyond Survival is a collaborative effort. The co-hosts of
the conference are the En'owkin International Indigenous Writing
School, the Canadian Native Arts Foundation, and the Canadian
Museum of Civilization. Each of these organizations represent
regional, national and international indigenous interests.
The Canadian Museum of Civilization has agreed to provide the
physical space for convening the Beyond Survival gathering. In
addition to contributing the physical site, the Museum is also
committing substantial staff time and promotional costs in support
of conference activities.
The Canadian Native Arts Foundation has agreed to assist with
fundraising and to provide organizational, administrative and
logistical support for the conference. The CNAF is also providing
fiscal sponsorship and accounting services for the conference.
The En'owkin International Indigenous Writing School has
agreed to provide accounting services, administrative,
organizational and logistical support and fundraising assistance.
In addition, En'owkin has assumed responsibility for overseeing the
coordination of international participation and is providing
funding for numerous guests.
A Steering Committee has been established to provide direction
to the Conference Coordinators on the planning and design of the
conference. This committee is comprised of indigenous participants
from the original New Zealand conference as well as from the three
sponsoring organizations. The Steering Committee has hired two
Conference Coordinators who, under the direction of the Steering
Committee, are responsible for coordinating the project to its
conclusion.
SUPPORT:
Written support has been provided from the following
organizations: the Writers Union of Canada, the Assembly of First
Nations, the Canadian Centre of International P.E.N., Native Earth
Performing Arts, the Association for Native Development in the
Performing and Visual Arts, the Returning the Gift Committee, Inuit
Tapirisat, Inuit Arts Foundation, the Inuit Women's Association,
the World Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Inuit Circumpolar
Conference. Further, the Canadian Commission of UNESCO, a United
Nations agency, has endorsed "Beyond Survival: The Waking Dreamer
Ends the Silence" as an "activity" for the World Decade for
Cultural Development.