Award-winning musician Sandy Scofield will sing at the Cloverdale Rodeo this year.
Scofield will be one of many musical acts, dancers, and artists set to perform on the Indigenous performance stage.
For the first time there will be an Indigenous village and an Indigenous performance stage. The village will be located just up from the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre, with the amphitheatre playing host to the stage.
Gerry Giczi, the vice-president of Waceya Metis Society, whose office is located in downtown Cloverdale, said rodeo-goers will see an array of Indigenous culture on display at the Cloverdale Fairgrounds.
In the village area, Giczi said visitors can expect to find artisan booths, displays, and a variety of food, including bannock and a salmon barbecue.
“We will be featuring traditional dance, music, displays, artisans, and yummy food,” Giczi told the Cloverdale Reporter. “It’s going to be huge and it’s going to be amazing.”
Giczi said three groups are co-hosting the Indigenous village.
“Waceya Metis Society, in conjunction with Katie Pearson of the Lower Fraser Valley Aboriginal Society (LFVAS) and Phyllis Atkins of Stalew Arts and Cultural Society, will be hosting this year’s new Indigenous Village.”
As such, there will be a large number of cultural performances.
Metis jig dancers will take part in the rodeo parade on Saturday morning (May 20) and perform on the Fairgrounds later in the day. And the Waceya Metis society has invited Amy Fauteux, Keith Hill, and Mathew Cook Contois to perform some traditional Metis jigs.
“We’ll also have Metis fiddle music,” added Giczi. “We’re still finalizing the performance schedule, but there will definitely be fiddle music.”
Giczi said the LFVAS has invited Sandy Scofield and her band to perform over the weekend.
“She is Metis from the Saulteaux and Cree Nations,” said Giczi. “She hails from four generations of fiddlers, singers, and musicians.”
Giczi added that LFVAS will also host Indigenous rapper Bryant Doradea, who goes by the stage name “Higher Knowledge.”
“We hope to bring youth to the forefront with a spoken word performance by local Indigenous youth and possibly an open mic contest,” Giczi added.
He said the third co-host, the Stalew Arts and Cultural Society, will be promoting their second annual Stalew Pow Wow during the rodeo with drum performances by Wild River Singers and Dance Group. Wild River will perform twice on May 20 and on May 21, and once on May 22. The Second Annual Stalew Pow Wow will be held Sept. 15 to 17 at the Langley Events Centre.
Giczi added there will be a zipline right next to the village, which isn’t part of the village, but something he thinks will be a lot of fun during the weekend.
“We’re hoping to have a teepee too,” Giczi said. “A lot of what were doing with the village will be education and culture.”
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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