INDIGENOMICS BANQUET GALA
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The Indigenomics Institute Inc. and partners have planned an amazing evening to gather, to showcase, to celebrate Indigenomics in Action!
We are grateful for Andrea Menard, accomplished Métis singer, songwriter, speaker and actress, who will be our official MC for the banquet gala! Andrea dedicates her life and work to promoting balance, reconciliation and unity among all nations. The Indigenomics Banquet Gala is a formal event, and will have a keynote by Buffy Sainte-Marie, the formal announcement of the 10 to Watch list, a Yolonda Skelton Fashion Show, hosted by All My Relations Entertainment and, finally DJ OShow. As Conference Delegates, you are already on the guest list for the Gala. Others who wish to attend the Gala can purchase separate tickets below. |
ANDREA MENARD, MC, BANQUET GALA
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An accomplished Métis singer, songwriter, speaker and actress, Andrea Menard crosses cultural and language boundaries by speaking from her heart. She has released 4 award-winning albums and 2 made-for-television programs, debuted her own symphony show, spearheaded a positive music initiative called the Music Messengers, and has performed and spoken all over the world.
One of the stars of the Netflix series, Blackstone, Andrea is a five-time Gemini-nominated actress, a 15-time music award winner, and her TEDx Talk called Silent No More has reached over 100,000 views. An advocate for reconciliation, unity and ending violence against women, Andrea has performed for Royalty, Prime Ministers, Governor-Generals, residential school Survivors, families of the missing and murdered Indigenous Women, and even sang her song “Peace” to the world’s NATO Generals. |
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BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE KEYNOTE SPEAKER
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“Putting the songs to work.”
Buffy Sainte-Marie is touring constantly, and coming off her critically acclaimed, award-winning 2015 album Power in the Blood, nobody could ever accuse the Academy Award-winning songwriter of taking it easy. Since her groundbreaking debut, 1964’s It’s My Way!, the Cree singer-songwriter has been a trailblazer and a tireless advocate, an innovative artist, and a disruptor of the status quo. Sainte-Marie has spent her whole life creating, and her artistry, humanitarian efforts, and Indigenous leadership have made her a unique force in the music industry. In 1969, she made one of the world’s first electronic vocal albums; in 1982 she became the only Indigenous person to win an Oscar; she spent five years on Sesame Street where she became the first woman to breastfeed on national television. She’s been blacklisted and silenced. She’s written pop standards sung and recorded by the likes of Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Donovan, Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. She penned “Universal Soldier,” the definitive anti-war anthem of the 20th century. She is an icon who keeps one foot firmly planted on both sides of the North American border, in the unsurrendered territories that comprise Canada and the USA. In 2017’s climate of damaging #fakenews and toxic hubris, Buffy Sainte-Marie’s incisive honesty, clarity, and intelligent compassion stand out in sharp relief. There’s still work to be done, and that work is her latest album, Medicine Songs. Sainte-Marie doesn’t sugarcoat the truth, nor does she shy away from hard realities, but Medicine Songs is never overwhelming or oppressive. Rather than making us feel smaller, sadder or more cynical, Buffy Sainte-Marie makes us feel stronger and more capable of seeing the world around us clearly. Part rhythmic healing, part trumpeting wakeup call, Medicine Songs is the soundtrack for the resistance. |
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YOLONDA SKELTON FASHION SHOW
Yolonda (Loni) Skelton is a Textile Artist from the Gitxsan Nation and the House of Hax-be-gwoo-txw of the Fireweed Clan. Her fashion designs are inspired and created from traditional oral stories told to her by her late maternal grandmother Lily Jackson (Na-gwa). She is able to combine the aesthetic beauty of her culture with her love of fashion, in creating one of a kind modern day robes of power, a functional art for people of all nations. |
#INDIGENOMICS 10 TO WATCH LIST
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We are excited to unleash the inaugural ‘10 To Watch List’ of innovative Indigenous businesses, entrepreneurs, community economic development corporations and innovative partnerships and business models that are demonstrating leadership in the development of the 100 Billion Indigenous economy.
The Institute will be publishing the annual list as a demonstration of excellence, innovation, leadership and committed action towards the growth of the Indigenous economy. Are you an Indigenous entrepreneur or business? An Indigenous economic development corporation? Have a business partnership with an Indigenous community? Are you developing innovative business or finance solutions for Indigenous peoples and communities? Then this is for you! |
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DJ OSHOW
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DJ SHARING AT THE #INDIGENOMICS BANQUET GALA
Thank you to DJ O Show for being a part of the Indigenomics Banquet Gala! Orene Askew aka DJ O Show has brought amazing experiences to all types of events and functions for over 8 years. DJ O Show is an instructor at the School of Remix, teaching students with an inspired approach to pursue their dream of becoming a DJ. In addition to DJ’ing, she is an inspirational speaker. O Show has DJ’d the red carpet for WE Day Vancouver at Rogers Arena for two years, she was voted the official DJ for YES (Young Entrepreneurs Symposium) in Ottawa in 2012. She has hosted shows and emceed numerous events, including Bowling for Big Brother’s Classic and working for radio stations like Vancouver’s The Beat 94.5 and Washington’s Movin’ 92.5. Coming from a diverse background, O Show is driven by her passion. Her mixes make people happy and always keep the dance floor packed. |
