 We're excited to have Stacey Lynn, Textile Artist and the genius behind Too High To Tie Dye at this year's K'ómoks Festival Market.
She works primarily with tie-dye clothing to create unique vibrant pieces that enhance the wear's style and bring attention to the art of slow fashion. By discovering and using individual processing methods, she creates easily recognizable pieces that quickly gain attention. Stacey will be bringing an array of traditional, one-of-a-kind unique, and upcycled tie-dye creations to this year's festival. We have a sneak peek here for you to see. To look at more of her work (and put your wishlist together) you can see more of her wonderful creations at Too High To Tie Dye. Join us in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day, June 21, 2024 at the beautiful beach site location of the Frank Memorial Pole, 3535 Bayside Road, Courtenay, British Columbia.  Come Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on the Lands of the K'ómoks First Nation with Hereditary Chief Yax’nukwalas, K'ómoks & Pentlatch Hereditary Chief Namnam’am, Kerry Norman Frank and First Nation Knowledge Keepers of the West Coast.
Immerse Yourself in Indigenous Art, Culture, Language, Storytelling, Workshops & Dancing. The day will be celebrated along the foreshore and in sight of Queneesh, the K'ómoks Glacier and witnessing the Historical Opening Ceremony of Queneesh House—the building which bears its name. Enjoy delicious Food, the Seafood Pit Cook on the Beach, the Artesian Market, Local Businesses, Vendors, and Entertainment. Tour the K'ómoks Estuary, Shell Middens & K'ómoks Fish Weirs along the Comox Foreshore. Learn the Story of the Frank Memorial Pole—Carved by Tlingit Kwaguʼł Master Carver, Tommy Hunt Jr., Waławidi, Legend of Queneesh & the Tales Behind the Masks & Artworks on Display. This year's festival features artwork by renowned First Nation Artists & Master Carvers:
All are welcome. This is a family-friendly open community event. It will be amazing with you there! Call for Vendors, Sponsors & Volunteers. Come and join us!  A HUGE THANK YOU TO THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT CONTRIBUTED LOVE, HEART, KNOWLEDGE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPONSORSHIP TO THE K'ÓMOKS FESTIVAL 2023
Katherine Frank, Lisa Bowie, Laura Dahl, Heidi Henderson, All Elders and K’ómoks community & K’ómoks Elected Chief, Ken Price, K’ómoks Elected Councillors, Susan Savoie, Coral McKay & Candace, Newman, Dave Taylor, the Farmer, Lush Valley, Maurita, Taylore (Chef), and James for incredible lunches for the volunteers and invited guests. Comox Valley Regional District: Christianne Wile and Staff, City of Courtenay: Geoff Garbutt and Staff, Village of Cumberland and Staff, Town of Comox and Staff, Village of Sayward and Staff, RE/MAX, Mosaic Forestry, Nyrstar Myra Falls Mine, Chan Nowosad and Boates, Comox Valley Airport, CIBC, North Island College, Providence Living, BC Transit for the free bus rides with Andy. Melissa Quocksister for the MC’ing, Cydney Neely and Jason Stevens at the 1st Aid Station, Shane Rempel and Greg Frank, Michael Tomlinson and his crew James and Ashton, Norman and Jordy Rudolph, Jaycob Frank, Blair Bentley, Vera Cranmer and Lynn Collins. Royal Bank Canada, The Ministry for Children and Families (many Social Workers taking the time out of their day), First Nation’s Health Authority, Janet Haigh, Amy Gibson, Jay Da Montarnal, Carol Hardy, Mike Zbarksy, Karen Hlady, V.I. Gaming, McDonald’s Aldred Family Restaurants Puntledge RV Campground Staff: Tim and Terry, Max Sagadore, Salish Eye Productions, Cory Cliffe, Vanessa Sharkey, Tyler Cranmer, Amy Criss, The Roe & #39's Garden, All in One Party Rentals, Simply Green Environmental, Artist Geary Cranmer, Hereditary Chief of the Pentlatch ‘NAMNAMAM and Hereditary Chief of the K’omoks Yax’nukwalas, Kerry Norman Frank. Presenters and Performers: Joanna Recalma, Letitia Pokiak, Dorothy Kennedy and Randy Bouchard, Kelly Shopland, Felicity Chetty, Susan Leslie, Natasha Rankie, Caitlin Dyck, Lalita Kines, Brent Mainprize, Dean Quiring & Ray Thunderchild. The Yisya’winuxw Dance Group, “The Core” featuring Barry Polichek and Randy Pryce. The T-Shirt Team: Craig Simon, Barb Mareck, Rachelle Ross, The amazing information booths, the food vendors that served fantastic food, and the artisan booths. And all the amazing volunteers that showed up and helped with parking and helped out everywhere you could. And all of the amazing guests and community that supported the K’omoks Festival 2023. Thank you to the K’ómoks First Nation for the opportunity to work with many communities and outstanding people! Apologies for anyone that we’ve missed. It was an amazing day because of you! We look forward to coming together again in 2024! A very special thank you to Kat Frank for having the inspiration, passion and drive to bring us all together. To each and every one of you, Gilakas'la!  You are invited to come and enjoy the 2023 K'ómoks Festival in the beautiful Comox Valley this National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21, 2023.
Invite your friends, bring your neighbours and head on down for an afternoon of fun in the Land of Plenty! The K'ómoks Festival will provide an opportunity to gather and share in the art of storytelling, dance, culture, craftsmanship, heritage, stewardship and community! Invite your friends, family and co-workers to come and spend an afternoon of outdoor fun with you in the beautiful Comox Valley. Festival Event Details: We will be coming together on June 21, 2023 to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day from 9AM - 7PM. The Main Public Event is 3:00PM to 7:00PM. The full agenda is available on the website. We will celebrate together through art, music, dance, workshops, kids zone, obstacle course, cardboard paddle making, storytelling, and delicious food... plus over $2,000 in door prizes! Speaker Highlights:
K'ÓMOKS EDUCATION PANEL / 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM Join us to hear from an amazing panel of Indigenous Educators who inspire, enlighten and encourage Indigenous people of all ages on the importance of education and the opportunities to help get us there! The panel discussion will include: Student Housing, Programs and Services and Stories of Success
Supporting Organizations: A very special thank you to our Band, sponsors and the volunteers from the Farmer's Kitchen, Lush Valley Food Action Society, Providence Health Care, MOSAIC Forestry Management, CIBC, North Island College, 98.9 Jet FM, Aldred Restaurants Ltd., Myra Falls, Department of National Defence, Providence Living, Chan Nowosad Boates Chartered Professional Accountants, Comox Valley Child Development Association, Village of Cumberland, Cowichan Valley Regional District, City of Courtenay, our Elders, Community Members & Comox Valley Community. You are amazing!  We are thrilled to announce this year's winner of our T-Shirt Logo Contest. A huge congratulations to Craig Simon, a Year 11 Student at Highland Senior Secondary School. Craig was born on Vancouver Island. He comes from the Anishinaabe people of the Upper Lake Huron area of Ontario.
Craig chose to represent the K'ómoks land with the sea otters specific to the ocean landscape; and heron as he is from the Heron Clan. He drew it in Anishinaabe Woodland Style, as his Grandmother has in the past. The Anishinaabe peoples are divided into a number of doodeman, or clans, with Craig's ancestors being from the Heron Clan, their animal totem or doodem. In Anishinaabemowin, ode' means heart. Doodem or clan translates as 'the expression of, or having to do with one's heart.' From our hearts to you, Craig, you honour us by sharing your work and the artistic style of your Grandmother living on through you. Please join us in wishing him our heartfelt thank you for his wonderful submission. A very special thank you, too, to his amazing Art Teacher, Barbara Mareck. It warms our hearts to have someone like her in our community who works hard to inspire our youth. Barbara, you are amazing! Barbara will be showcasing Craig's work and the art from her other talented students at their school..  DR. DOROTHY KENNEDY, ANTHROPOLOGIST & ETHNOHISTORIAN
THE STORIED LAND OF PLENTY: K’ΌMOK PLACE-NAMING & THE MERGING OF TWO DISTINCT CULTURES—SALISHAN & LEKWILTOK K'ómoks First Nation today is made up of several formerly separate tribes—culturally K’ómoks and Pentlatch of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Dr. Dorothy Kennedy’s talk will share with us how the landscape provides the foundation of multiple forms of social knowledge—informing social practices, social systems, and social relationships, as well as the boundaries between them. We know that what is named and how it is named is culture-specific. Dr. Kennedy will share how local place names and associated stories evolved from the land and share insights—particularly those from her work with renowned Elder, Mrs. Mary Clifton and others reported, gleaned between 1971 and 1981—of how those practices have come to shape our home here in the Comox Valley. K’όmok place-naming is deeply rooted in human experience, in this instance, an experience involving merging two distinct cultures, one Salishan and the other Lekwiltok. Join us as we explore those concepts in Dr. Dorothy Kennedy’s talk, The Storied Land of Plenty. Her presentation will be at 11:15 AM during the invitation-only morning program at this year’s K’όmok Festival, June 21, 2023. ......................................... ABOUT DR. DOROTHY KENNEDY Dr. Dorothy Kennedy is an anthropologist and ethnohistorian specializing in the cultures and history of British Columbia’s Indigenous peoples. Dr. Kennedy was awarded the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal at the University of Victoria for her award-winning master’s thesis on Coast Salish social organisation. She went on to complete her doctorate at the University of Oxford’s Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology. Her expertise relating to Indigenous peoples is relied upon by the Courts in deciding issues of Aboriginal Rights and Title and by First Nations in regulatory matters, claims, and cultural revitalization programs. Her fifty years of fieldwork includes research amongst the K’όmoks, working in the 1970s with renowned Elder, Mrs. Mary Clifton. Drawing from this research, undertaken with her husband/colleague, linguist and ethnographer Randy Bouchard, we are honoured to have Dr. Dorothy Kennedy present “The Storied Land of Plenty” at this year’s K’όmoks Festival.  The Yisya̱’winux̱w Dancers is a professional, adult and youth dance group whose members represent many of the 16 tribes of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw people.
Many members live and work in 'yalis, Alert Bay, a village on Cormorant Island, near the town of Port McNeill on northeast Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Yisya̱’winux̱w Dancers come together to perform by invitation or special arrangement for private events. Although, Yisya̱’winuxw is the most recently formed dance group of the Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw Nation—though many members have performed professionally for over 20 years. Each of the Yisya̱’winux̱w dancers is initiated in Potlatch ceremonies. The dances and songs shared in the performances are owned by the members, and families within the group. Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw oral history shares that our ancestors (ʼnaʼmima) came in the forms of animals by way of land, sea, or underground. When one of these ancestral animals arrived at a given spot, it discarded its animal appearance and became human. Animals that figure in these origin myths include the Thunderbird, his brother Kolas, the seagull, the orca, the grizzly bear, or the chief ghost. Some ancestors have human origins and are said to come from distant places. Some of the dances you may see share these stories. Witnessing them is a very special experience. You can see them on the Main Stage at the K'ómoks Festival 2023 on National Indigenous People's Day, June 21st at the Puntledge RV Campground, 4624 Condensory Road, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, V9J 1R6  Come out to meet the lovely folk working at the Comox Valley Child Development Association (CVCDA). They will have a booth on-site at K'ómoks Festival 2023. Their work supports children, youth and adults with diverse abilities and their families.
There are currently 17 programs operating under the CVCDA umbrella along with a number of community partnerships and support groups. All of their services are designed to not only enrich the lives of the people who access them but also to contribute to a stronger Comox Valley that welcomes and includes everyone who lives here. We're proud to have them as a sponsor and partner for this Free, Family-Friendly Community Event celebrating National Indigenous People's Day 2023. Visit them at their booth and check out their website at cvcda.ca to learn more about their services! K'ómoks Festival 2023 on National Indigenous People's Day, June 21st at the Puntledge RV Campground, 4624 Condensory Road, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, V9J 1R6  We are thrilled to have Panikpak Letitia Pokiak sharing a talk on Climate Change as part of our morning program at this year's festival.
Panikpak is from Tuktuuyaqtuuq located in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, of the Western Arctic, North West Territories. As an Inuvialuk, she was raised traditionally on Inuvialuit Nunangat, her arctic homeland, which frames her lens and worldview. Inuit Nunangat is an Inuktitut term meaning “homeland.” It is used to describe the four Inuit land claim regions which includes the land, water and ice. Inuit Nunangat is a massive region covering more than a third of Turtle Island/Canada’s land mass and half of its coastline. Panikpak completed the MA Anthropology program at the University of Victoria with the culmination of her thesis defense, for which she received the Western Association of Graduate Schools (WAGS) / Proquest Distinguished Masters Thesis Award. Prior to grad school, Panikpak was instrumental in establishing the Giant Mine Oversight Board office, an independent body that monitors the Giant Mine Remediation Project in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories—as well as supporting the implementation of the Giant Mine Environmental Agreement, which guides the remediation of the Giant Mine located Yellowknives Dene First Nation territory. Panikpak was an Indigenous Support Worker for the School District No. 71 for five years, on the unceded traditional territory of the K’omoks and Pentlatch People of Vancouver Island. With her anthropology background, Panikpak has been involved in a number of archaeological expeditions in her home territory, including the 2010 Archaeological Survey in Aulavik National Park in the high Arctic on the Northwest Territories' Banks Island in which the HMS Investigator—the merchant ship purchased in 1848 to search for Sir John Franklin's ill-fated Northwest Passage expedition—was rediscovered. Both Panikpak and the archaeology crew received the Excellence Award from Parks Canada. Panikpak aims to support and empower Indigenous Peoples in their sovereignty, rebuilding and well-being efforts. Panikpak Letitia Pokiak's presentation on Climate Change is at 10:15 AM as part of our invitation only morning sessions at the 2023 K’omoks Festival.  When you come on down to K'ómoks Festival 2023, be sure to look for Aldred Restaurants Ltd. (McDonalds) Community Events Tent & Trailer offering complimentary Coffee, Tea, Cold Fruit Splashes and Cookies which we're sure will be delicious! They will be offering their goodies from 3:00PM to 7:PM. Visit them at their booth or at 1799 Cliffe Avenue Courtenay for a refreshing treat!
Aldred Restaurants Ltd. serve both the Comox Valley and Port Alberni. Greet them as neighbours as that is who they are! They are proudly locally owned and operated and have likely provided a tasty snack (or even employment) for you or someone you love! We love to support local and we love what Aldred Restaurants Ltd. do for our community. Their Mcdonalds' restaurants proudly serve the communities of Comox Valley and Port Alberni from each of their six (6) locations. We're thrilled to have them as a community partner!  We're thrilled to have Cory Cliffe, Lekwiltok First Nation, Artist, Jewellery Maker & Steward of the Land join us at this year's festival.
Cory will share how he makes beautiful necklaces and bracelets with Devil's Club. Devils Club beads are made from the stock of the Devils Club plant. This is a locally grown plant that has been harvested by Indigenous people since time immemorial. Cory will share how he collects Devil's Club and uses it to make medicinal salves and beads for jewellery. He will be bringing some prepared beads to show and for you to use in your own creations so that you can have the chance to make something beautiful yourself.  T-SHIRT LOGO DESIGN COMPETITION / CALLING ALL K'ÓMOKS ARTISTS!
This is your chance to design the T-Shirt for the K’omoks Festival happening June 21st, 2023, at the Puntledge RV Campground. We would love to see your design on this year's t-shirts! Draw an original illustration by hand and send it in. If we choose your design for the 2023 K’omoks Festival T-Shirts, you’ll not only be famous, but you’ll get a $100 cash prize! SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: Submissions must be black and white; be drawn by hand. Digital renderings or clipart may not be used. Your design must fit on an 8½” x 11″ sheet of paper set vertically (use the full sheet!) You must include "K’omoks Festival 2023" in your design submission. Include your name or signature. Include your contact information including a telephone number. You are welcome to scan your design in low resolution for the email submission. A photo of the design is acceptable for submission. Original submissions may be given directly to Kat Frank. DEADLINE: The deadline for submission is before midnight (PST), Friday, June 2, 2023. Please email your submissions to Kat Frank at [email protected] or call 1-250-650-7271 with any questions. 2023 FESTIVAL WINNER: The winning T-shirt design will be announced on Tuesday, June 6th 2023 on the www.komoksfestival.com website and our Facebook (META) page—plus a happy call to the lucky winner. Your design for the 2023 K’omoks Festival will become the property of K’omoks Festival 2023 for use on t-shirts and other promotional products. After this year's festival, you are welcome to use the design in any way you choose with the words "K’omoks Festival 2023" removed. Good luck! We're excited to see your submissions!  Come out to meet the lovely folk working at Mosaic Forest Management. They manage the forest planning, operations and product sales for TimberWest and Island Timberlands, two proud companies operating on Vancouver Island.
Mosaic Forest Management is committed to recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is their objective to increase representation and employment opportunities for Indigenous Peoples in the workplace to help foster Indigenous participation in the forest economy and support business development opportunities by increasing commercial partnerships with Indigenous groups in their supply chain. We're proud to have them as a sponsor and partner for this Free, Family-Friendly Community Event celebrating National Indigenous People's Day 2023. Visit them at their booth and check out their website at mosaicforests.com to learn more about their services! K'ómoks Festival 2023 on National Indigenous People's Day, June 21st at the Puntledge RV Campground, 4624 Condensory Road, Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada, V9J 1R6  We are honoured to have Joanna Recalma as our Keynote Speaker for this year's festival. Joanna will share her thoughts on, Reconciliation and Reckoning within the Canadian Legal System.
Joanna Recalma is an unconventional mother, wife, lawyer and wonderful orator. She is often recognized by the unmistakable silhouette of her wild curly hair. She is a random abstract thinker known to make compelling legal arguments. Brilliant in court and in life, she is also easily distracted by her intense focus and curiosity of the world—regularly losing her wallet, keys and all sense of time. Her bloodlines include Pentlatch, 'Namgis, Haida, Icelandic and Chilean. Her work is inspired by her grandparents and mentors—she roots for the underdog. She mainly practices family law, but in a pinch, she takes on constitutional and civil law cases focusing on Indigenous rights to hunt, fish and live. Like a salmon, Joanna has returned home to the Qualicum reserve where she was raised on the Big Qualicum River. Her passion for wildlife photography and her inappropriate sense of humour provide Joanna with peace and relief from the adversarial legal world. We are honoured to have Joanna as our Keynote Speaker at this year's festival.  Gilakas'la! For this event, there is Free Parking, ATM, Food Vendors & Washrooms onsite. We will have seating and shaded areas to rest. Please ensure you keep yourself hydrated and comfortable on the day. We will have Paramedics and our KFN Health Nurse, Cydney Frank, onsite for any health concerns.
Feel free to contact Kat Frank at 1-250-650-7271 or email [email protected] for details on how to get involved. Thinking of volunteering? We'd love to have you join us and we will make sure you are well fed! Lush Valley will be providing food for our volunteers. VOLUNTEERS: As well as volunteering on the day, we are looking for a few volunteers to help the day before and after with deliveries and pick-up of rental equipment. Could that be you? Please be in touch! FOOD TRUCKS AND ARTISANS: Please spread the word as we are actively looking for Food Trucks ($50 Fee) and Artesian Vendors ($20 Fee). Vendors need to bring their own tables and chairs. A downloadable copy of the Food Truck Application Form is below.  Open call for Comox Valley Food Truck Vendors! Interested in having your Food Truck at this event celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day? We are expecting hundreds of attendees who will be hungry!
You can find a downloadable PDF of the FOOD TRUCK VENDOR APPLICATION FORM here on the website. We are excited to have you join us! Food Truck Vendors are responsible for their own tables, chairs and generators. Cost is $50.00  June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day. It is a day for all Canadians to recognize, celebrate and honour Indigenous peoples, cultures and communities.
K'ómoks First Nation today is made up of several formerly separate tribes—culturally K’ómoks and Pentlatch of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The Sathloot (‘sath-loot), Sasitla (sa-‘seet-la), Ieeksen (eye-‘ick-sun) and Xa’xe (‘ha-hey) are all culturally K’ómoks and each have their own unique origin stories. The Pentlatch had a similar culture but spoke a distinct language and also have their own unique origin story. These origin stories all tie the tribes’ first ancestors to their respective tribal territories. We say Gilakas'la in Kwak'wala as a heartfelt welcome greeting or to say thank you. It translates to “I share my breath and spirit with yours.” Kwak'wala is the language of the Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw First Nations of British Columbia, Canada. Come and spend some time with your neighbours, learn more about Indigenous culture and share in a free, family-friendly event this June 21, 2023 in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day. |
NUSANusa is the Kwak'wala word for sharing a myth, story or legend. Here we will share about the many stories of those coming together for our annual celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day each June 21st 
EXPLORE & SHOP THE HASE' MARKET
FIRST NATION MASKS, PHOTOGRAPHY, CARDS, TIE-DYED CLOTHING, HANDMADE POTTERY, JEWELRY, UP-CYCLED CLOTHING, UP-CYCLED JEWELRY, INDIGENOUS ART PRINTS, FIRST NATIONS ORIGINAL ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, SHAWLS, T-SHIRTS, TANK TOPS, INDIGENOUS EARRINGS, BRACELETS, LEATHER EARRINGS, STERLING PENDANTS & NECKLACES, NATURAL LOTIONS, LIP BALMS, BODY BUTTER, NATIVE PLANT SEEDS, TRADITIONAL MEDICINE PRODUCTS, BAGS, SCARVES, GIFTS, CARDS, DELICIOUS FOODS—SMOKED SALMON, SEAFOOD CHOWDER, SOCKEYE, FRIED BREAD, BANNOCK, HOT SAUCE, FRESH FRUIT & VEGGIES, DARK CHOCOLATE CARAMEL APPLES, CARAMEL POPCORN, CHOCOLATE GRIZZLY PAWS, FUDGE, MINI-DONUTS—ALL MADE WITH LOVE! SO MANY CHOICES! WHAT'S ON YOUR LIST? 
Art GalleryMagnificent First Nation Carvings, Masks, Boxes, Blankets, Regalia, Headdresses, Aprons, Rattles, Whistles, Paintings & Bowls
Legends of the Masks
Tum Tum Threads
Conscious designs handmade by Zapotec in Oaxaca and Kwakwaka'wakw from the Great Bear Rainforest 
DUCHESS BANNOCK
2023 LOGO WINNER
Artist Craig Simon
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