Remarks by
The Honourable Anita Neville, P.C., O.M.
Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
MANITO AHBEE VIP BRUNCH
Assiniboia Downs, 3977 Portage
Monday, May 22, 2023
(please check against delivery)
Friends, fellow Manitobans and welcome guests, thank you for the opportunity to experience this wonderful festival and the thriving cultures it celebrates.
It is my privilege to acknowledge that we are meeting in the heart of Treaty One land, in the capital of a province that is the ancestral and present-day home of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Red River Metis, Dakota, Dene and Inuit peoples.
We acknowledge northern Manitoba includes lands that were, and are, the ancestral lands of the Inuit.
In this beautiful and diverse province we are striving to advance understanding, healing and reconciliation and work as partners for a better future.
This festival, now in its 18th year, shines a light for all to see a way forward. In the growth of Manito Ahbee, and the creativity and excitement it fosters, we see how the diverse and living Indigenous cultures of Turtle Island enhance life in Manitoba.
Manito Ahbee brings together the past, present and future like nothing else.
At this festival, pageantry and sacred traditions with ancient roots meet with new forms of creativity, leadership and entrepreneurship.
Combining youth leaders, fashion designers, powwow singers and dancers, artists, athletes and businesses all in one place showcases the cultural richness and diversity of Indigenous communities.
Participants from across Turtle Island enrich this festival with their own traditions, styles and innovations.
Kicking off Manitoba’s summer festival season like this certainly will ignite our spirit.
The excitement of today’s Indian Horse Relay will no doubt bring crowds to their feet, and as fans cheer on their favourite horse and rider, we’ll be reminded that the cultural traditions and innovations of the Indigenous community give us all something to cheer about.
To all those who make Manito Ahbee possible – staff and volunteers, performers and organizers, sponsors and donors – thank you for enriching the cultural panorama of this city, province and country.
Thank you, merci, meegwich.
