Niska Noel takes over the Timmins Museum
Indigenous artisans are displaying and selling their cultural creations at a two-day craft show in Timmins.
Niska Noel has taken over the Timmins Museum, as a way to support local craftspeople and showcase local Indigenous culture.
The event is an opportunity for local Indigenous groups to share their traditions. It also provides an opportunity to bring attention to the creative craftwork of artisans from Timmins and area First Nations.
Over a dozen vendors are selling artwork rooted in culture passed down for generations.
"We started off with the soapstone carvings, the wife and I. We’ve been doing it for 45 years, over 45 years, I guess now," said local artist John Etherington.
"Then we started doing different stuff and that … feathers and some paintings that I do."
This is the third Niska Noel in Timmins and organizers told CTV News the interest from the community has grown each year.
Originally starting off as a one-day event organized between the museum and the Mennonite Central Committee, it has expanded to a weekend showcase. Organizers of the event now also include the Ojibway and Cree Cultural Centre and the Timmins Native Friendship Centre.
"When the Indigenous artists are creating these moccasins and beaded handwork, these are traditions that they’ve carried on," said Monica Towsley, the program co-ordinator for the museum.
"I think with, especially in this time, when we’re looking for truth and reconciliation and learning about their culture, that we have this opportunity to come meet the actual artisans and purchase something from them … is just a step in the right direction."
Towsley added that it is a chance to directly support Indigenous businesses.
One artist was looking for a way to support herself during the pandemic, so Feather Metatawabin decided to honour her late father and fellow artist Gordon Goodwin by selling prints of his cultural work along with her own creations.
"I’m always humbled by the amount of people who recognize his art," she said.
"Because we literally came from nothing and now people still buy his art and he passed away 12 years ago."
The event continues Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Timmins Museum where attendees can sample bannock-on-a-stick and register to learn to make a dreamcatcher, if space is still available.
For more information on the event, visit the Timmins Museum National Exhibition Centre’s Facebook page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Baby boom amongst nurses leads to maternity ward closure in Listowel, Ont.
The emergency room at Listowel’s hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor qualifies Canada for Paralympics in rowing event
Former Humboldt Broncos goaltender and bus crash survivor Jacob Wassermann has qualified Canada for a rowing event for the 2024 Paralympic games in Paris.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.