From Treaty Six Territory – Join Cree Elder, Ekti Margaret Cardinal, and Metis Artist MJ Belcourt in a remarkable day of mini-doll making and working with rawhide to create small storage bags – which will also be painted. The activity is led through storytelling and shared knowledge, and participants will learn about the materials, designs, makers, and purposes of these functional art forms. This intimate occasion will allow you to sit with these remarkable artists and work with your hands as you learn leather stitching techniques and making-processes which apply to a variety of possibilities. All-natural materials are supplied (buffalo down hair, deer hide, moose hide, rawhide and sinew) sewn by hand, and you carry home your creations.

About The Artists

Ekti Margaret Cardinal is an Indigenous Elder and Knowledge Keeper from Saddle Lake Cree Nation. Over the last five decades, Cardinal has established herself as a respected tipi-maker, educator, and cultural ambassador, carrying forward teachings passed down through generations. In 2006, Cardinal participated in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D. C. representing Alberta’s culture through her tipi, tents, and dolls.

Beyond her renowned craftsmanship, Cardinal’s role as Elder and Knowledge Keeper allows her to share her insight in many other ways. She was a long-time instructor in Northern Lakes College’s Aboriginal Arts program, and remains the longest-serving member of the Regional Environmental Action Committee (REAC). She is also the “Resident Kokoom” at the Young Indigenous Women’s Circle of Leadership gatherings each year.

MJ Belcourt is an Indigenous artist, cultural instructor, and festival coordinator with over 25 years of experience working across Alberta to preserve, share, and celebrate Indigenous knowledge. Her lineage is rooted in the Lac St. Anne Métis community and the Michel Band. Her work is grounded in Cree/Métis traditions, land-based learning, storytelling, and ceremonial arts.

Her artistic practice includes porcupine quillwork, moose hair embroidery, fish-scale art, traditional beadwork, and hide tanning the old Cree way using natural materials. She works with gifts drawn from the land to create meaningful works that honour cultural teachings and traditions.

In 2006, Belcourt participated in the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., representing Alberta’s culture through her art practice. Her contributions have been recognized through the 2023 Esquao Award in Culture, 2019 Edmonton Indigenous Artist in Residence, 2018 Daughter of the Year Award, 2009 Aboriginal Role Model of Alberta Art Award, and 2006 Smithsonian Salute to Excellence Citation and Performance Award.