Yellowhead Fire
Yellowhead Fire brings together established and emerging scholars, activists, and artists to discuss pressing concerns and issues, exchange ideas, and offer critical Indigenous perspectives on settler colonialism and the reclamation of Indigenous land and “the good life”. Yellowhead Fire events take different forms to respond to community needs and interests, from public education events, to community building opportunities and land-based initiatives.
PAST YELLOWHEAD FIRES
APRIL 15, 2025
A Full Ballot Box of Rights? The Federal Election and the Future of Indigenous-Canada
This Yellowhead Fire brought together esteemed experts in advance of the Federal Election to discuss questions that Indigenous voters are asking. Jocelyn Formsma, Brock Pitawanakwat, Riley Yesno, and Jessica Penney formed a panel to discuss, is the ballot box (of rights) full or empty?
FEBRUARY 18, 2025
Celebrating Inuit Food Sovereignty
This Yellowhead Fire celebrated Inuit food and Inuit food knowledge. Yellowhead School hosted Inuit Elders and leaders in Inuit food sovereignty to discuss their community’s work on the Inuksiutit project, including community-based videography and photography to document hunting, harvesting, and food processing and preparation. This Fire included the opportunity to taste Inuit food delicacies.
NOVEMBER 21, 2024
Making Space for Indigenous Feminism | Book Launch
This Yellowhead Fire celebrated the most recent edition of the iconic collection, Making Space for Indigenous Feminism! Yellowhead School hosted editor Gina Starblanket and book contributors Megan Scribe, Eva Jewell, and Cara Peacock for a conversation reflecting on Indigenous feminism’s intergenerational longevity and ongoing relevance in contemporary contexts and debates. This Yellowhead Fire also featured Indigenous Feminism trivia!
SEPTEMBER 30, 2024
Truth & Land Back
This event launched Yellowhead Online (YO) with the release of our first course based on the Yellowhead Red Paper, Land Back. In celebration, Yellowhead hosted a panel discussion with course collaborators and Yellowhead Fellows, Shady Hafez & Riley Yesno, moderated by Hayden King. We also screened Yellowhead’s first short film, Return to Gale Creek, which is featured in the Reclamation module of the Land Back curriculum. Hosted by Megan Scribe, this fire engaged the tensions in the Land Back movement against the backdrop of Truth & Reconciliation.
Yellowhead Sparks
Yellowhead Sparks are small-scale events responsive to community interests, topical in nature, and often generated by the themes, topics, and issues explored in the Yellowhead Fire series.
PAST SPARK EVENT
Bad Cree x The Big Melt Book Launch
In March 2023, Yellowhead School teamed up with Another Story Bookshop to celebrate the highly-anticipated works of two Nehiyaw writers. Jessica Johns’ debut novel, Bad Cree (2023 Amazon Canada First Novel Finalist), and Emily Riddle’s debut poetry collection, The Big Melt (2023 Winner of Griffin Poetry Prize’s Canadian First Book Prize). This Yellowhead Spark event featured readings, moderated discussion, and a friendly round of bingo.
