Come Toward the Fire 2023: September 16

September 1, 2023

Musqueam and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia are excited to collaborate again on the second annual Indigenous festival, ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl (Come Toward the Fire).

Held on September 16, 2023, the festival will feature free, outdoor programming from 1PM – 5:30PM, and a ticketed evening festival concert portion from 6PM.

The celebrations will showcase the diverse talents of Indigenous peoples from Musqueam and Indigenous nations across Turtle Island (North America).

On June 20, we announced the first slate of performers, including Musqueam’s Miss Christie Lee (Christie Lee Charles) who will host the evening concert, along with visiting performers:

During the day, Musqueam master weaver Debra Sparrow (θəliχʷəlʷət) will team up with Vancouver artist Ruby Singh again for “Inter/weavings Pt. 2”.

“Musqueam is excited to partner with the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts and welcome Indigenous performers to our territory for the second year of ʔəm̓i ce:p xʷiwəl. In our culture, fire is the centre of our longhouses, where our ceremonial work takes place. Being called ‘toward the fire’ is a call to join us in this celebration of Indigenous cultural expression. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the Chan Centre to continue uplifting Indigenous voices for many years to come.”
–yəχʷyaχʷələq, Chief Wayne Sparrow, Musqueam Indian Band