Micro ouvert autochtone

A root isn't always visible. It works beneath the surface, quietly, and yet it is what holds everything upright. For this sixth edition of Micro ouvert autochtone [Indigenous Open Mic], I chose the theme "Roots" because it is exactly what we have come to celebrate here since the beginning of this event: what anchors us, what has been passed down to us, and what we do with it today, with pride.

Our roots are our territories: the ones we inhabit, the ones we come from, those we carry with us even in the city. They are also our languages, our songs, our gestures passed down from our elders to our youth, from one hand to another, from one voice to another. And finally, they are our identities: who we become through our territories, our stories, and our cultures, and the strength that lets us stand tall, right here, right now."

— Kim O’Bomsawin, Abenaki sociologist, producer, screenwriter, and documentarian