Åsa Simma was born into a nomadic reindeer herding family, migrating between north Sweden and Norway depending on the season. She was taught the traditional Sami singing called “yoik”, during that time yoiks was forbidden. She was part of the movement to diminish the yoiking ban. She left for Denmark where she took an actor’s education. Åsa Simma has been very active in the global indigenous peoples’ movements. She has toured among Australian Aboriginals, lived with Inuits from Greenland and Native American Indians. Worked as a film dramaturgist and script developer at the International Sami Film Institute. Presently she is the CEO of the Sami Theatre.
Feasting is an important part of Indigenous culture, and our inaugural festival offered an evening where we savoured the extraordinary talent of Indigenous artists, athletes, singers, fashion designers, and story tellers, including:
The event has been curated and co-produced by Tsatassaya White, a member of the Snuneymuwx First Nation who also belongs to the Hupacasath First Nation from Nuu-chah-nulth in Port Alberni. Tsatassaya will also be presenting the film, Huulth Huultha, edited by Dustin Anderson.
