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AHA MEDIA filmed at DTES Smudge Ceremony 2010 at Main and Hastings in Vancouver
The Downtown Eastside Smudge ceremony came to be through a vision and has been carried out by a very dedicated group of women. The Aboriginal Women’s Working Group is made up of traditional ceremonial women and men that work within organisations in the helping field. Over the past two times the smudge was carried out WAVAW took the lead to help with the organising of the ceremony, the working group has many partners and this year we are proud to say that the Pacific Association of First Nations Women is taking the lead with the organising. These women are taking leadership with the help of our men to bring this ceremony to the people to pray for the healing of the world and to bring an end to violence against women beginning with mother earth.
Each direction will have a youth to lead the way bearing the sacred flag, a traditional firekeeper bearing medicines to cleanse the sacred mother earth, one ceremonial man and women of each of the sacred races in the east yellow, the south black, in the west red, and north white. Also in each direction there will be four aboriginal ceremonial women and four aboriginal ceremonial men. These people are all known to the people as our helpers and healers. The drummers are also in ceremony and a sundance drum is used. The traditional people of these territories have given permission to do this work and all protocol of ceremony is followed for the entire ceremony from the first offering of tobacco to the closing.
Below are photos of the DTES Smudge Ceremony from an aerial view perspective
Below is a video of Sacred Races in the west Red marching to Main Street in DTES Smudge Ceremony 2010 in Vancouver
This video was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera – Panasonic DMC-ZS3. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video or for additional footage, please DM April Smith @AprilFilms on Twitter or Facebook.com/AprilFilms
Below is a photo of Jenny Kwan, MLA
***Additional photo and video footage of this event is available upon request***
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Below are photos taken by Hugh Lampkin at National Aboriginal Day Celebration at Oppenheimer Park
Below is Rockin’ Randy giving a Big Smile
AHA MEDIA welcomes David Murray, Community Advocate for Social Justice back home in Vancouver Downtown Eastside
Recently David Murray went on the 75 Anniversary of the On to Ottawa Trek where he spoke about the Red Tents Campaign to Parliament Hill in Ottawa
David Murray is now home in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside where he is sharing his many exciting experiences and memories. Among his favorite memories was meeting the folks of ADDICQ ( Association for Defending Rights and Inclusion of people who use drugs in Quebec ) and when he toured through the House of Commons in Ottawa!
http://openparliament.ca/bills/1991/
On to Ottawa Trek
Statements By Members
June 15th, 2010 / 2 p.m.
See context
NDP
Libby Davies Vancouver East, BC
Mr. Speaker, on the 75th anniversary of the historic “On to Ottawa Trek”, I am proud to welcome eight modern day homelessness trekkers from my riding of Vancouver East, who are here in Ottawa.
Am Johal, Diana Hart, Al Mitchell, Georges Maltais, Shawn Millar, David Murray, John Richardson and Garvin Snider left Vancouver on June 6 to re-enact the 1935 workers’ protest against poor wages and abysmal working conditions in government camps during the Great Depression.
This wonderful group is also marking the end of the 2010 Homelessness Hunger Strike Relay, which I was honoured to participate in.
These groups and over 50 major Canadian organizations are calling on the government to support a national housing strategy and to vote yes to Bill C-304.
AHA MEDIA films at “VANDU Tickets Day” in Vancouver on Monday May 17, 2010
AHA MEDIA films at VANDU – Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users where AHA MEDIA is helping to document “VANDU Tickets Day”
” 800 Tickets withdrawn by City of Vancouver…Is yours one of them? Come to VANDU to see if you have outstanding tickets”
City of Vancouver Representatives are at VANDU to provide community members with info about tickets, court dates and community services possibilities.
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Below is Aiyanas Ormond and Marion Allaart of VANDU helping the members
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Below are photos of City of Vancouver representatives working with VANDU members on tickets
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AHA MEDIA, Fearless City Mobile and W2 at Fair in the Square 2010 in Victory Square, Vancouver
The Board of Directors, Management and Employees of Central City Foundation and Vancouver Community College are pleased to present Fair in the Square 2010.
The purpose is to celebrate our neighborhood, share food, listen to local musical artists, support a community trade show, eat cupcakes and dance.
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Below is a photo of Irwin Oostindie and Lianne Payne of W2
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Below is Irwin Oostindie with Holly Boyd of AHA MEDIA and Fearless City Mobile
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Below is a photo of Lianne Payne in the band Sambata
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Below is some of our great AHA MEDIA, Fearless City Mobile and W2 Crew with friend Kat
Peter, Clyde, Irwin, Alvin, April, Darryl, Kat and Lianne
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Below is Darryl, Paul, Clyde and Alvin of AHA MEDIA and Fearless City Mobile Crew trying to make a W2 with their fingers
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Below is Irwin Oostindie sharing a laugh with Central City Foundation member
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Below is Alvin Clayton of AHA MEDIA and Fearless City Mobile holding the Summer program guide for W2
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Below is Irwin Oostindie speaking with Andrew “Muskie” McKay – formerly of BOB
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Below is a photo of Miriam, Shawn with Alvin, April and Eric doing great community engagement and outreach of W2 during Fair in the Square 2010
AHA MEDIA is so proud of Jon Ornoy and Andrew Lavigne on their article in The Georgia Straight newspaper “Activist documentary filmmakers get interactive”
AHA MEDIA is so proud of Jon Ornoy and Andrew Lavigne on their article in The Georgia Straight newspaper “Activist documentary filmmakers get interactive”
Many thanks to Jon Ornoy and Andrew Lavigne of Animal Mother Films for the upcoming film “With Glowing Hearts” for all their hard work and REAL care and concern for all the people they interviewed and cultivating a life long working relationship especially for us at AHA MEDIA.
Below is a photo of Andrew Lavigne and Jon Ornoy from their Georgia Straight article written by Shana Myara
Jon and Andrew were the only filmmakers we’ve seen who were dedicated in telling the REAL stories of our lives and other community members in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside. We are immensely grateful for their time, patience and care in working with us at AHA MEDIA over the year for their documentary film.
We at AHA MEDIA are very proud to count Jon Ornoy and Andrew Lavigne as mentors, advisors and most importantly friends of AHA MEDIA.
So many people are always interested in what, where and why we do our citizen journalism and social media documentation with cameraphones of events, functions and daily life activities in our community the Vancouver Downtown Eastside. One thing we were most impressed and touched by Jon and Andrew was that they geniunely wanted to KNOW us and be there with us through the good and bad times.
In the Vancouver Downtown Eastside, so much goes on in our community and it’s rapidly changing everyday. We deal with many issues including gentrification, poverty, lack of social housing and during the film process of With Glowing Hearts, we all learned more about ourselves and how we could change things together!!
Thanks to Jon and Andrew for being there for us and helping us tell our story to an international audience. Thank you for encouraging us and supporting our endeavors to tell the stories of the most marginalized people in our City of Vancouver.
Please see Jon Ornoy and Andrew Lavigne of With Glowing Hearts article in this week’s Georgia Straight newspaper http://www.straight.com/node/323597
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