Indigenous Artists at the 2010 Winnipeg Folk Festival

Oka, Kinnie Starr, Ghostkeeper, Pura Fé, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and storyteller Michael Kusugak, round out the Indigenous artists performing at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this year. Starr and Oka have entertained audiences at the annual event in previous years, while Ghostkeeper, Pura Fé, Youngblood Hart, and Kusugak will be hitting the stages at Bird Hill Park for the first time.

Most of the artists have their own concerts on daytime stages along with collaboration spots in the themed workshops. Oka, a three piece Australian act who features dance infused Didgeridoo tracks, was a big hit at the 2009 festival and they sold out of CDs in the hours following their “One Nation Under a Groove” workshop appearance. This year they’ve got three workshop performances lined up throughout the weekend, along with a prime time concert on the Big Blue @ Night stage.

The Winnipeg Folk Festival’s Aboriginal Advisory Committee has plans to host a traditional welcoming ceremony for the Indigenous artists, international acts, staff and volunteers this year. Elder Dave Courchene Jr. will lead the ceremony and the festival cooks will prepare a feast for the group backstage. The ceremony and feast won’t be open to the public this year.

The performance times and locations for the Indigenous artists are listed below. Please refer to the printed festival program for details on Kusugak’s performances and a map with directions to each of the stages.

Wednesday, July 7
• Pura Fé, acoustic @ 945pm (10 mins), Main Stage

Friday, July 9
• Oka, “It Takes a Global Village” workshop @ 1230pm (90 mins), Green Ash
• Kinnie Starr, mentor for the Young Performers @ 130pm (70 mins), Shady Grove
• Ghostkeeper, concert @ 23pm (60 mins), Little Stage
• Pura Fé, “Blues Traveler” workshop @ 4pm (90 mins), Green Ash
• Kinnie Starr, concert @ 430pm (60 mins), Little Stage
• Oka, concert @ 1030pm, Big Blue @ Night

Saturday, July 10
• Kinnie Starr, Oka, Ghostkeeper, Pura Fé, “One Nation Under a Groove” workshop @ 1230pm (75 mins), Snowberry
• Alvin Youngblood Hart, “Keep your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” workshop @ 215pm (90 mins), Bur Oak
• Pura Fé, concert @ 230pm (45 mins), Little Stage
• Alvin Youngblood Hart, “Steve Dawson’s Mississippi Sheiks Tribute” workshop @ 415pm (75 mins), Big Bluestem

Sunday, July 11
• Alvin Youngblood Hart, concert @ 12pm (60 mins), Little Stage
• Pura Fé, “Different Strokes” workshop @ 11am (75 mins), Shady Grove
• Kinnie Starr, “Young Guns” workshop @ 215pm (90 mins), Shady Grove
• Oka, “Tri-Continental” workshop @ 430pm (90 mins), Big Bluestem

Please visit the Winnipeg Folk Festival website for more info: www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca.