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April 23, 2026
Rivers, Relatives and Reciprocity: How we care for the waters
Ambe omaa!!
It is time the waters break free from the winter sleep, and it is the time when Anishinaabe-Kwe place water offerings to bodies of water in their respective traditional territories. At Just Waters, we have journeyed through a year of listening to grandmothers share the teachings of respecting water, what is our relationship to water and what are our responsibilities to water– now we come full circle and share the importance of reciprocity.
Come spend the evening with Grandmother Judy Da Silva, Grandmother Chickadee Richard, and Grandmother Ivy Canard as they share teachings about the water offering and conduct the water offering ceremony at the traditional meeting place which we know as The Forks, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
The gathering will also feature an artist talk with Jaimie Isaac and Val. T. Vint in respect to Niimaamaa, a 30-foot-tall sculpture located at Niizhoziibean (the pedestrian loop connecting The Forks and St. Boniface and linked to the Tache Promenade). Niimaamaa was created by a collaboration of KC Adams, Jaimie Isaac and Val Vint.
Following the artist talk, we will work together to create posters that can be used on water walks and to advocate for the waters. Stencils, paper and pastels will be provided. All are welcome- whether you consider yourself to be an artist or not, you will be able to create something powerful!
No registration is required and there will be a light supper available. The event will take place in the 2nd Floor Event Space in The Forks Market. If you have any questions, please reach out to sarah.deckert@umanitoba.ca
The event will look something like this:
- 5:30 Water offering teachings & ceremony
- 6:15 Those who are able can walk down to the river to place the offering
- 6:45 Artist talk with Jaimie Isaac and Val T. Vint
- 7:15 Poster making
- 8:30 Closing
About the Speakers
Grandmother Chickadee Richard is a member of the Sandy Bay First Nation and was raised near the west side of Lake Manitoba.
Grandmother Chickadee is a mother of three biological children, two adopted sons, grandmother of seven children and grandmother to many in the Indigenous communities across Turtle Island. Grandmother Chickadee has collaborated with many exceptional grassroots leaders of Indigenous communities to help make safe places for Indigenous peoples. She is a proud anishinabaa kwe who has dedicated her life to the betterment of the land, water, and Indigenous communities. For many years, she has been an advocate and educator for change and justice in Manitoba and across Canada, by creating awareness of the strength and beauty of Indigenous culture and perspectives. Grandmother Chickadee works with people that are open and willing to change the current ways which harm the land, lakes and Indigenous people’s ways of life.
Biography to come!
Biography to come!
Ramona has two traditional names, Miskoginewawaashiik and Waabishki Mikinak Iskwew. She is third degree Midewiwin and is from the Migizi (Bald Eagle) Clan. Ramona is Anishinaabe, Cree, and Nakoda from the Peguis First Nation within Treaty 1 territory. She has spent most of her career working in roles that protect and uphold the Treaty and Aboriginal Rights of Indigenous peoples, particularly in the development and implementation of policies and programs related to natural resource management and to wholistic healing. Ramona is dedicated to learning and working with traditional medicines, attending ceremonies, and travelling to and dancing at powwows.
Jaimie Isaac (she/her/hers), Just Waters Research Matriarch, is a curator and interdisciplinary artist, Anishinaabe member of Sagkeeng First Nation and is of British heritage. She was the Chief Curator at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria from 2021-2023, and advisor 2023-2024.
As the Curator of Contemporary and Indigenous Arts at the Winnipeg Art Gallery 2015-2021, she was awarded the Canadian Museums Association outstanding achievement award in exhibitions category with the Boarder X exhibition. Isaac has a degree in Art History and a Masters of Arts from the University of British Columbia focused on decolonizing gallery/museum practices.
Through academic, curatorial, consulting/advisory, collaborative and artistic projects, Jaimie engages in areas of reconciliation, resistance, decolonization in art and in sport, Indigenous feminism, environmental justice, language and cultural resurgence. Isaac has lectured, curated internationally with research trips and residencies in Norway, Finland, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Chicago, and New York. Bodies of art commissioned and exhibited take form in film, public art, installation and mixed media. With published work, Isaac has contributed to scholarly collections of writing within textbooks and journals.
Valerie Vint (Rainbow Horse Womyn) is a Red River Métis artist, educator, and cultural worker whose multidisciplinary practice explores identity, blood memory, and ancestral strength. A leader in public art and reconciliation, she co-created Niimaamaa in Winnipeg and leads Healing Forest projects that respond to the TRC’s Calls to Action through art, mentorship, and community leadership.
