Come Toward the Fire 2023 at the Chan Centre

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC and Musqueam present the second annual Indigenous festival, ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire). On September 16, 2023, ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the festival features free outdoor programming showcasing the diverse talents of Indigenous Peoples from Musqueam and Indigenous nations across Turtle Island (North America).

ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl Come Toward the Fire

• When: September 16, 2023; 1:00pm – 5:00pm & 6:00pm – 9:30pm
• Where: The Chan Centre at UBC (6265 Crescent Rd, Vancouver)
• Tickets: Free and ticketed events
  • Admission to all festival events is FREE for Indigenous Peoples, however, tickets are required for the evening concert 

In addition to the performances, the festival will feature an Indigenous artisan market, food vendors, film screenings, workshops and speakers. More details will be announced later this summer.

Daytime Performance Lineup (Free)

Building from last year’s initial collaboration, Musqueam master weaver Debra Sparrow (θəliχʷəlʷət) and Vancouver artist Ruby Singh team up again for “Inter/weavings Pt. 2”. This striking composition continues to be developed by an intercultural string ensemble led by Singh and includes Elisa Thorn (harp) and Andrea Wong (guzheng/violin/piano). The composition uses a visual score drawn from design elements in Sparrow’s blanket designs and weavings. This new work will expand on the first piece and be presented in the round of the Chan Centre’s cedar grove with dancers and a semi-improvised score.

More daytime performers include Syilx singer/songwriter Francis Baptiste, who sings in the endangered N̓syilxčn̓ language; pop band Hayley Wallis and the Bright Futures led by Hayley Wallis, part of the Kitasoo/Xais’xais Nation; KeAloha, a Hawaiian, Tahitian and Lheidli T’enneh singer who fuses R&B with dream pop; DJ Paisley Eva, who hails from the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation village of Eslha7an; and Notorious Cree, who will engage audiences with a workshop before his evening performance.

Evening Performances (Ticketed)

This year’s evening concert will be hosted by Musqueam’s Christie Lee Charles, who goes by the stage name Miss Christie Lee. The City of Vancouver’s first Indigenous poet laureate, Charles is also a rapper, storyteller, Coastal hand drum singer, filmmaker, speaker for her ancestors, and a direct descendant of the great warrior, Capilano. Growing up in world of music, the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm artist  has been focused on hip-hop where, as an emcee, she incorporates her traditional knowledge and ancient hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ dialect.

Headlining act Black Belt Eagle Scout, otherwise known as Katherine Paul, is a Swinomish/Iñupiaq singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Mato Wayuhi, propelled to fame as the composer of the Peabody-winning, Emmy-nominated TV show Reservation Dogs, also joins the lineup that includes: Grammy-nominated Young Spirit, Ojibway ‘moccasin gaze’ band Zoon, and indie pop punk duo Miesha and the Spanks, led by Secwépemc singer and guitarist Miesha Louie, and singer-songwriter Tia Wood  from Saddle Lake Cree Nation.

The festival will also feature Ojibway ‘moccasin gaze’ band Zoon and indie pop punk duo Miesha and the Spanks, led by Secwépemc singer and guitarist Miesha Louie living in Treaty 7 Territory, and performances from Tsatsu Stalqayu / Coastal Wolf Pack.

If you can’t catch the evening performances in person (or want to enjoy them again) they will be recorded and broadcast on CBC Music, CBC Radio One, and CBC Gem on September 30 for the National Day for Truth & Reconciliation.

For more information on the festival lineup, visit Come Toward The Fire website and the Chan Centre Facebook and Instagram.

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