Featured Videos
The Heritage Community Foundation is pleased to present a selection of video material on a variety of themes representative of our many websites. Each is varied in content and rich in education and inspiration. A number of videos showcase our Aboriginal content, and have been included in a DVD called 11,000 Years Celebrating Aboriginal Life in Alberta, produced to commemorate our province’s centenary.
Finding Our Voice (7:32)
In September 2004, a unique professional training initiative for Aboriginal students was launched, called The IT/Animation Program. It was developed, managed and administered by the Heritage Community Foundation, NAIT and Western Economic Diversification Canada. Nearly one year later, at graduation, students, instructors and co-ordinators look back on an eventful year.
Métis Crossing (5:56)
In 2005, travellers journeyed westward across Manitoba and Saskatchewan to Métis Crossing in Alberta, to commemorate the settlement of their ancestors over one hundred years ago. Some paddled the river while others took to the trails via horse-pulled wagons. For many, the experience was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to journey back into the past.
Lac Ste. Anne – Pilgrims’ Progress (5:57)
The healing powers of Lac Ste. Anne date back to the mid-1850s when a prayer for rain by members of the drought-stricken community was answered. Today, people from a variety of cultural backgrounds make the yearly pilgrimage seeking spiritual renewal and a chance to reconnect with friends and family.
Rossdale Reburial – Honouring our Ancestors (4:48)
For centuries, Edmonton’s Rossdale Flats were a traditional burial ground for many of the city’s ancestors, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal. On 28 August 2005, a ceremony was held to rebury six individuals whose remains had been excavated in 1967 during the construction of the Rossdale Power Plant. After almost 40 years, they were finally recommitted to this sacred ground.
Aboriginal Veterans Remember (18:30)
Six Aboriginal war veterans – Chuck Isaacs, Oscar Lacombe, Donald Langford, Victor Letendre, John McDonald, and Jack White – reminisce about their life in and out of Canada’s Armed Forces. Their years of service date from the Second World War, the Korean War and peacekeeping duties in the former Yugoslavia. The video is divided into four sections: Family Heritage (3:52), As a Youth (4:47), Military Remembrances (4:53), and On Life (4:53).
Giving Back: Leila Houle (2:15)
Miss Edmonton 2005, Leila Houle, grew up in Whitefish Lake Band, two hours northeast of Edmonton. She credits strong role models and a desire to do her very best as reasons for her success.
Giving Back: Dallas Arcand (4:39)
When as a teen Dallas Arcand discovered hoop dancing, he had no idea it would change his life. Now 2006 World Champion, he delights in sharing his culture through this athletic and creative art form.
Giving Back: Alvena Strasbourg (4:31)
At 82 years old, Alvena Strasbourg is strongly motivated to pass on what she has learned from her life. Besides her work with Métis Child and Family Services, she has held positions with Keano College and Health and Welfare Canada, and is currently with the City of Edmonton’s Urban Aboriginal Accord Initiative. She has come a long way from watching the first bi-planes carry mail into northern Alberta.
Alberta’s Ukrainian Heritage (3:35)
Near the end of the 19th century, the Canadian government appealed to Europeans to settle its vast, prairie provinces. A large number of Ukrainians from Galicia in western Ukraine answered the called, and settled in the Bruderheim district of Alberta, which became the largest settlement of Ukrainians in the world outside of Europe.