Delta Days travelling exhibit to tour through river delta communities

A traveling interactive, multi-media art exhibit that aims to raise awareness about the health of Canadian inland deltas and the people who live in them will be touring throughout Western Canada in 2017.

Delta Days 2016: Moving From Awareness to Action

A traveling interactive, multi-media art exhibit that aims to raise awareness about the health of Canadian inland deltas and the people who live in them will be touring throughout Western Canada in 2017.  One of the main goals of the traveling exhibit is to raise awareness of the key message from the delta peoples: “Bring back nature’s flow, restore our deltas’ rhythms”.

The Delta Days Traveling Exhibit, sponsored by the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S).  It evolved out of conversations between people who live, work, and do research in three of Canada’s inland river deltas. These deltas include the Slave River Delta (NWT), Peace-Athabasca Delta (AB), and Saskatchewan River Delta (SK/MB). Development of the west has come at a cost for these deltas and their people.  Harnessing water for irrigation, hydropower, and municipal uses has incurred high social and ecological costs on the people living in the deltas. 

At an event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in April 2016, delta community members shared their stories of change.  They revealed how the change in flows has created conditions of despair.  They say that this cycle can only be reversed by restoring the rhythm of these deltas that will bring hope for the next generation.  Doing so will benefit all Canadians by restoring wildlife habitats and creating the conditions needed for First Nations and Métis people to resume managing the land the way their ancestors did.

The traveling exhibit will share messages of about the challenges faced by delta peoples, the need for restoring the health of deltas, as well as key action items delta people would like to see moving forward.

Check out the Delta Dialogue Network Traveling Display Blog for photos of the exhibit on tour. 

Community members are invited to be a part of this ongoing collaboration by visiting the Exhibit, and adding recipes, photos, artwork or other items to it that show who the delta peoples, cultures and communities are.  

This Traveling Exhibit will be available for viewing in the following communities:

  • Cumberland House, SK - Nisto Awasisak Memorial School - Jan. 17 and Charlebois Community School - Jan. 18 - 19.
  • Fort Chipewyan, AB - Mamawi Community Hall - Jan. 31 – Feb. 1
  • Fort Smith, NWT - Roaring Rapids Hall - Feb. 3-5
  • Fort Resolution, NWT - Antoine Beaulieu Memorial Hall - Feb. 7-8
  • Yellowknife, NWT - Explorer Hotel, Katimavik B - Feb. 13-14

Michela Carriere has created a Facebook group called "Delta Action." The purpose of the page is to "collaborate, share knowledge, raise awareness and start building a new hope for our deltas." It features videos, links, updates, and other helpful resources.

Visit the Delta Days Website

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