PROJECT INTRODUCED – The Yukon First Nations 2010 Project was introduced Monday in Whitehorse. Left to right: Andy Carvill, Grand Chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations, Alejandro Ronceria, the YFN 2010 artistic director, and Katie Johnson and Charlene Alexander, co-executive producers for the show.

The Yukon First Nations 2010 Project will be represented to the world with a Yukon first nations 2010 logo and a world-class production featuring Yukon aboriginal performing artists.

The inspiration behind the project logo started with the vision of an image that could represent Yukon first nations people, unifying each community with a common thread that would also leave a lasting impression to first nations, 2010 participants and the world, organizers told a Whitehorse news conference Monday.

The Raven represents how Raven made the world, bringing light, animals, fish and people to begin and sustain life on Earth. There are many versions and many narrators of these stories, which vary among first nations communities.

The project logo and storyline will integrate the Raven influence into all aspects of YFN 2010.

Under the artistic direction of internationally accomplished Alejandro Ronceria, the performing artists will participate in highly visible venues in the Yukon, in Vancouver, and surrounding communities during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

The pinnacle will be the Yukon’s Aboriginal Day in the 2010 Aboriginal Pavilion on Feb. 21.

“Using the four seasons as the narrative structure, the show will present the best traditional and contemporary arts and artists of the Yukon, interweaving music, dance,

and storytelling against the landscape of the Yukon; the show will be a powerful visual and sound experience for the world ,” said Ronceria.

A collective of 40 Yukon aboriginal performing artists was selected from nearly 30 applications representing individuals and groups from across the Yukon.

The selection process was led by a team of Yukoners from the cultural industries sector with expertise in music, television, theatre, and live performances.

“Our goal is to develop and present a world class program that will celebrate and showcase Yukon’s diverse and distinctive first nations people, culture and business to the world and create lasting economic, social and cultural benefits for Yukon,” said Katie Johnson, the project’s co-executive producer. Charlene Alexander is the other producer.

Last January, the Council for Yukon First Nations (CYFN) signed a memorandum of intent with British Columbia’s four host first nations, positioning the CYFN to participate in the 2010 Games.

The project components include recruitment and selection, training and orientation, program and artistic development, elders and youth networking and development, participating in the Games and bringing the stories and inspiration back to the territory. “Yukon first nations people have a long and proud history to share with the world,” said CYFN Grand Chief Andy Carvill.

“Our participation in this once-in-a-lifetime event will showcase our people, skills and talents to the world, and more importantly, inspire Yukon first nations in new ways through training, development, networking, sharing of experiences with the rest of Yukon and through legacy plans.”

Here is the performing artists line-up:

• Boyd Benjamin – Gwichin fiddler, Whitehorse

Benjamin is a member of the Vuntut Gwichin First Nation and a recipient of a National Youth Aboriginal Achievement Award. Boyd started fiddling at an early age and has performed at many national and local events showcasing his Gwich’in style of fiddling and jigging.

• Diyet vanLieshout – composer, singer, Burwash Landing

vanLieshout has been making music for 15 years. She studied opera and received her degree in music from the University of Victoria in 1999.

vanLieshout has always been drawn to popular music. Shortly after receiving her degree, she signed a publishing deal, writing for other artists.

She has written songs for individual artists and television productions in Canada, Europe and Japan.

In 2005, she moved back home to her village in the Yukon, where life in a rural first nations community has become the storyboard for her upcoming debut album, Home.

• First People’s Performances/Dakká Kwáan First People’s Performances, Carcross

Dakká Kwáan First People’s Performances began in May2007 and is based in Carcross.

First People’s Performances focuses on bringing their traditional stories into life through dramatization, song, dance, drumming, storytelling and multi-media.

They have performed at festivals and events throughout the Yukon and B.C., including the We yah hani nah Coastal First Nations Dance Festival at the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

• Jerry Alfred’s Shun Dun Band

Alfred, a Pelly Crossing musician, is a member of the Northern Tutchone Crow Clan of the Selkirk First Nation in Yukon.

At birth, he was named Keeper of the Songs. Self-taught, he started playing guitar at an early age, writing hundreds of songs over the years.

In 1996, he won a Juno Award for his album Itsi Shun. He has since toured across Canada and around the world.

•Daniel Tlen, Whitehorse

A singer/songwriter, Tlen has been making music for more than 40 years. He sang the national anthem at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

The love of music and culture has been his driving force in his life. He performs both traditional and contemporary music which is inspired by his first nations history, knowledge and language.

• Raven Spirit Dance Society

The Vancouver society’s mandate is to create, develop and produce contemporary dance that is rooted in traditional and contemporary aboriginal world view.

By sharing this work on local, national and international stages, the society aims to reaffirm the vital importance of dance to the expression of human experience and to cultural reclamation.

• Sharon Shorty and Duane Gastant Aucoin – Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charlie, Whitehorse

Sharon and Duane emulate the old time elders that they grew up with – feisty, opinionated and funny.

Whether sharing traditional stories or songs or sharing their take on current events and issues, Susie and Charlie are able to make crowds of all ages laugh out loud.

• Ringing Sun Singers, Whitehorse

The Rising Sun Singers, a trio of aboriginal women, are Patti Boss, Lacey Scarff and Viola Papequash.

Their traditional songs of healing, honour and celebration reflect generations of aboriginal warrior women committed to the overall preservation of their culture and traditions.

• Ross River Drummers, Ross River

The Ross River Drummers have travelled internationally to perform their Dene singing and drumming known for its powerful and hypnotizing rhythm.

• Dakwakada Dancers, Haines Junction

Formed in 1992, under the direction and vision of the late Anne Ned and Kathy Kushniruk, the Dakwakada Dancers include 40 dancers of all ages from the Southern Tutchone, Tlingit, Kaska, Tahltan First Nations. T

The dance group has shared their traditional Southern Tutchone songs, stories and dance with audiences from across North America.

• Ta’an Kwach’an Dancers, Whitehorse

The dancers showcase the traditions of the southern Yukon.

The songs and dances have been passed down to the dancers by the elders and have their roots in traditional Southern Tutchone history, culture and language.

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