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Aanischaaukamikw, the Cree Cultural Institute located in Oujé-Bougoumou, one of the 10 Cree communities that form the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee in Northern Quebec, has received a prestigious award from the Canadian Museums Association.
Aanischaaukamikw was awarded Outstanding Achievement in the Cultural Heritage category on April 12 in Vancouver. The award is based on the institute’s ability to achieve national significance and exceed the current standard of practice by going beyond conventional approaches in developing a travelling exhibition called Footprints: A Walk Through Generations, reads a press statement.
The multi-media exhibit is a celebration of the language, stories, ceremonies, arts and technologies of the Indigenous Nation. It has been touring the James Bay communities, and will embark on a cross-Canada tour in May 2019, with a 10-month stop at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Que.
“This exhibit, curated and developed from a Cree perspective, in collaboration with Elders in all of our 10 communities, is an example of the way in which we, as Indigenous peoples, can tell our own stories and share our cultures in exciting and engaging ways,” said Dr. Sarah Pash, executive director of the institute.
“Footprints: A Walk Through Generations conveys the knowledge and tradition of countless generations and celebrates our close relationship with the land we have always walked,” she continued.
The Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute is a 30,000 square-foot museum and cultural centre which is the primary location for the preservation of documents, media, and physical objects of the James Bay Cree, designed for preservation, conservation, and knowledge transfer.