Indigenous arts festival celebrates its 15th anniversary with a little twist

July 20, 2024 Canuck

The Rubaboo Arts Festival is back in Edmonton for its 15th year. With it, a new festival theme — self-love.

Since 2009, the festival has brought Indigenous art, performance and storytelling to the forefront. It was named after rubaboo, a Métis-Michif language word for a type of traditional soup.

According to executive director Christine Sokaymoh Frederick, the Rubaboo Arts Festival is meant to feed and nourish the soul with art.

She said that even with 15 years of festival organizing experience, she never thought she’d make a theme for a festival. But, it seemed fitting this year.

Edmonton AM7:17Rubaboo Arts Festival celebrates Indigenous artists in Edmonton

The Rubaboo Arts Festival, July 19-28, is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Christine Sokaymoh Frederick is the festival’s executive director.

“That’s what I find so exciting is when you’re able to create a vision where other people see themselves inside your vision,” she told Edmonton AM‘s Tara McCarthy.

Frederick wanted to emphasize the importance of Indigenous artists in Edmonton.

Two actors in a play — The Rubaboo festival aims to tell stories through artistic endeavors to support local Edmontonian artists. They also provide workshops and roundtables to discuss different topics. (Submitted by Shivani Saini)

“We let them know immediately, we want to appreciate you for everything that you’ve done in our community, for the bravery and courage that you’ve had, the stamina, the steadfastness to be an artist,” she said.

“We want to take a moment to say we love you and you are loved not just by us, but by a community of people.”

Pîsim Kânîpawit is an artist and the festival director.

He’s worked with Frederick since 2009, and said she creates a safe space for Indigenous artists to share their work with a more mainstream audience.

Originally, it started as a “works in development festival,” where artists would come to workshop their work in progress. However, it slowly developed into a showcase that displayed arts in different and unique formats.

This year is particularly important for that, as he said artists are still trying to recover from the prolific hit caused by the pandemic.

“We are still kind of picking up the pieces of the pandemic and where that left us as a people and as our artists,” said Kânîpawit. “Dance took such a weird hit. No one’s going to see dance anymore. That one’s going to take a very, very long time to recover.”

Arik Pipestem is a dancer and choreographer who has worked with the festival since its conception.

Arik Pipestem performing a dance — Arik Pipestem is renowned for his hoop dancing and has worked on projects with the Black Eyed Peas, the Calgary Flames and Canada’s Got Talent. He has been involved with The Rubaboo festival since its early years. (Submitted by Shivani Saini)

Coming back this year, he was all too glad to explore the theme of self-love.

After having lost friends and family members in the past few years, he said it was only fitting that he find a way to honour them at this year’s festival.

“Also it’s a reminder for all of us to love ourselves, sometimes that’s just what we need, and it’s easy to forget that,” he said.

Pipestem will be performing a self-choreographed contemporary hoop dance, which is dedicated to his loved ones that have passed away.

He’s thankful to return to the Rubaboo Arts Festival, where he has formed a close bond with other artists.

“I always try to make it to this festival, like I love to try to perform there and help out anyway I can,” he said.

“But literally the day that I arrived, I felt the love from everyone who’s a part of this festival, from the community … it’s like coming home.”

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