Gloria Knott: My Hometown

Gloria talks about where she’s from – Wasagamack.
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Gloria Knott: My Culture

Gloria talks about her Oji-Cree culture. She didn’t live very culturally while growing up, but is now rediscovering her roots.
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Gloria talks about the Oji-Cree language and says a few words.
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Gloria Knott: Bridging Cultures

Gloria talks about how she thinks others see her - an Aboriginal person.
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Gloria talks about similarities she sees between Aboriginals and Africans.
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Aaron Rae: My Hometown

Aaron talks about growing up on Sandy Lake First Nation in Ontario.
He also talks about the role of the Northern Store on reserves.
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When Aaron was young, his family moved to Winnipeg. Adjusting was difficult at first.
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Aaron Rae: My Culture

Aaron explains what it means to be Anishinabe and the importance of humour to his people.
He also talks about the importance of elders’ teachings in his life.
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Aaron Rae: Bridging Cultures

Aaron talks about growing up in a multi-cultural environment.
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Aaron talks about an encounter he had with someone during a plane ride from Edmonton to Winnipeg. For Aaron, being open to communication goes a long way in understanding new cultures.
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Aaron Rae: All About Me

What Aaron wants to do with his life.
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Tyson Monias: My Hometown

Tyson lives in St. Theresa Point, Manitoba. Hear him talk about the positives and negatives about growing up in his community.
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Tyson Monias: My Culture

Tyson lives his Oji-Cree culture every day. Here, he talks about two important traditions he still practices - the Sweat Lodge and Sundancing .
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Oji-Cree is still spoken in St. Theresa Point. Hear Tyson say a few words in his mother tongue.
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Tyson Monias: All About Me

Tyson knows which career he wants to pursue and knows how that it can help his community, St. Theresa Point. Hear Tyson talk about his aspirations and what he's most proud of.
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Sandy Paishk: My Culture

Sandy talks about two important cultural activities she enjoys participating in: The Pow Wow Trail and smudging.
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The Moccasin Game is a popular game they play in her community.
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Sandy talks about why it’s important to respect elders.
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Thadius Leveque: My Hometown

Thadius talks about his community - Little Grand Rapids First Nation.
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Thadius Leveque: My Culture

Thadius talks about what it means to be Ojibway and to speak his language.
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Grandparents play an important role in Aboriginal cultures. Thadius talks about the important role his grandfather played in his life.
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Thadius Leveque: Bridging Cultures

The first time Thadius met a person of African descent.
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Thadius Leveque: All About Me

The hardest part of his day.
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What he's most proud of - his son.
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He also talks about where he sees himself in ten years.
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Ricky Bittern: My Hometown

Ricky talks about his hometown, Berens River First Nation.
He talks about how there isn’t any racism on his reserve as well as an experience with racism in Winnipeg.
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Ricky Bittern: My Culture

Ricky talks about his Ojibway culture and language.
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Charlie Bittern was one of the Aboriginal runners who carried the torch during the 1967 Pan Am Games. They carried the torch from Minnesota to Winnipeg but were not allowed to carry it during the final let into the stadium.
Hear Ricky talk about his father.
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Read about Ricky's dad here

Ricky Bittern: Bridging Cultures

Ricky talks about the first time he saw a person of African descent.
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Ricky Bittern: All About Me

Ricky talks the hardest part of his day, what he’s most proud of and where he sees himself in 10 years.
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Norma Monias: My Hometown

Norma talks about her community, St. Theresa Point.
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Norma Monias: My Culture

Norma talks about her grandfather’s traditions and her own. Norma drums, which isn’t very common for female Aboriginals.
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The trapline is something most families in her community visit.
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Norma has a conversation with her friend, Myrna Flett, in Oji-Cree and explains the strength of the language on her reserve.
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Norma Monias: Bridging Cultures

Norma talks about her knowledge of the African culture.
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Paul Frobisher: My Hometown

Paul talks about his two neighbourhoods - Elmwood and West Broadway.
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Paul Frobisher: My Culture

Paul talks about how he lives his Ojibway culture in the city.
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Paul Frobisher: Bridging Cultures

Paul talks about how he thinks others see Aboriginals and the fact that not many Africans come to where he works – Broadway Neighbourhood Centre, an Aboriginal organization in the city's West Broadway neighbourhood.
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Paul Frobisher: All About Me

The hardest part of Paul's day.
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Jonathan Owens: My Hometown

Jonathan describes his community – Pauingassi First Nation. He says it's just like your typical reserve.
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Jonathan Owens: My Culture

Jonathan talks about his Ojibway culture and his pride in knowing how to speak his language. He says Hello in Ojibway.
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Jonathan Owens: Bridging Cultures

The first time Jonathan met a person of African heritage, he noticed similarities with his own culture.
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Jonathan Owens: All About Me

What he’s most proud of.
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Little Bow Bighetty: My Hometown

Little Bow talks about her reserve, Pukatawagan and “the rock.”
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She also talks about the negatives about living there.
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Little Bow Bighetty: My Culture

Little Bow talks about an important ceremony for Aboriginals – the giving of spirit names.
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And what is Little Bow’s spirit name?
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Drumming is one of Little Bow's favourite activities. However, in her community, it’s not allowed. She explains why.
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Little Bow Bighetty: All About Me

What she's most proud of.
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Marcia Quill: My Hometown

Marcia talks about her hometown – Sapotaweyak First Nation.
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Marcia Quill: My Culture

Marcia talks about her Cree language.
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Marcia Quill: Bridging Cultures

Marcia says she has had a lot of exposure to the African-American culture because she lived in the United States for a while.
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Marcia Quill: All About Me

Marcia talks about what makes her proud and where she sees herself in 10 years.
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Maria Aksic: My Hometown

Maria was born in Thompson, Manitoba but grew up in Winnipeg. Here, she talks about her experiences visiting up north.
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Maria Aksic: My Culture

Maria grew up in a mixed culture. Her mother is Cree and her father is Serbian. Here, she talks about what it means to have both cultural backgrounds.
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A very important aspect of Aboriginal culture is respect.
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Maria speaks a bit of Cree and Serbian – her parents’ languages.
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Maria Aksic: Bridging Cultures

Maria talks about how she thinks others see First Nation people.
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And what does she think of the African culture?
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Myrna Flett: My Hometown

Myrna talks about her hometown – St. Theresa Point and describes her house, which has running water. Not every house does in her community.
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Myrna Flett: My Culture

Dancing is an important part of Myrna's life. She enjoys jigging and square dancing.
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Myrna says a few words in her mother tongue – Oji-Cree.
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Myrna is a member of a drum group. As leader, she must take on certain responsibilities. Here, she explains the importance of warming the drum, and respect.
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Lindsay Sinclair: My Hometown

Lindsay uses a list of adjectives to describe her current neighbourhood in Winnipeg's West End and describes life on her family’s home reserve - Lake Manitoba First nation.
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Lindsay Sinclair: My Culture

Lindsay again uses key adjectives to explain what it means to be Ojibway.
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Smudging is an activity practiced by many Aboriginal people. Lindsay smudges in her house at specific times.
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Lindsay Sinclair: Bridging Cultures

Lindsay wants to make it clear to people that Aboriginal people are:
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Lindsay Sinclair: All About Me

What she's most proud of.
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Derek Beardy: My Hometown

Derek grew up in York Landing. The community is in Northern Manitoba.
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Derek Beardy: My Culture

Derek talks about his first memories of hearing and learning the Cree language.
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Derek Beardy: All About Me

Derek goes to school in Winnipeg. Here, he talks about what he’s most proud of and where he wants to be in 10 years.
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Garry Fisher: My Hometown

Garry goes to school in the city. When he goes back home to Bloodvein First Nation on breaks, certain things remind him that he's home.
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Garry Fisher: My Culture

Garry talks about how people from Bloodvein celebrate Hallowe'en a little differently.
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Garry talks about his mother tongue- the Ojibway language and says a few words.
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Garry talks about why his hair is important to him.
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Garry Fisher: Bridging Cultures

Garry talks about being exposed to people of African heritage when he was young.
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Garry Fisher: All About Me

Garry talks about how first impressions can sometimes be wrong. He also talks about what he's proud of and where he sees himself in 10 years.
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Zaid Aboud: My Hometown

Zaid was born in Iraq. He lived in various refugee camps in different African countries before arriving in Canada.
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It's normal for middle-easterners to sleep on the floor. Zaid continued to do this when he moved to Canada. He also talks about memories he has of his youth.
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Zaid talks about his first day in Winnipeg.
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Zaid Aboud: My Culture

Food is an integral part of any culture. Here, Zaid describes Iraqi food - Kubbah and Kunafa.
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Language is also very important to any culture. Here, Zaid says a few words in his mother tongue - Arabic.
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Zaid Aboud: Bridging Cultures

How does Zaid think other people view Middle-Easterners?
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And how does Zaid view the Aboriginal culture?
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There are certain difficulties for middle-easterners and newcomers in general when immigrating to Canada.
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Zaid Aboud: All About Me

Zaid is very proud of one thing in his life.
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Thomas Gerezghier: My Hometown

Thomas was born and raised in Sudan. Although he only spent short periods of his life in Eritrea, his parents are Eritrean. Because of this, he identifies himself as Eritrean.
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Thomas Gerezghier: My Culture

Thomas talks about what it means to be Eritrean.
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Eritrea has two official languges and Thomas speaks both.
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A hero to many Eritreans, including Thomas, is runner Zersenay Tadesse.
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Thomas Gerezghier: Bridging Cultures

How does Thomas think other people see Eritreans?
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What are Thomas’ impressions of the Aboriginal population and does he see any similarities between Aboriginals and Eritreans?
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Thomas Gerezghier: All About Me

Thomas talks about the hardest thing he has to do every day.
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There's one rule that exists in Thomas' large family.
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What is Thomas most proud of and where does he want to be in 10 years?
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Othello Wesee: My Hometown

Othello grew up in Liberia. He says a big difference between Canada and Africa is how communities interact.
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Othello Wesee: My Culture

You can identify which region a Liberian is from by the food they eat.
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And what kind of food do you eat, Othello?
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Refusing a glass of water is not acceptable in Africa. It means you're not welcoming.
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Othello says a few words in his local dialect.
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Othello Wesee: Bridging Cultures

How does Othello think others see Africans?
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Othello talks about the similarities he sees between Africans and Aboriginals.
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Othello Wesee: All About Me

Othello talks about the hardest thing he has to do every day and what he’s most proud of.
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Darios Ahmed: My Hometown

Darios talks about the region where he grew up in Ethiopia.
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Darios Ahmed: My Culture

Darios talks about his mother tongue, the
Amharic language, and says a few words.
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The Ethiopian calendar is unique: It has 13 months, every month has 30 days, and their 13th month only has 5 days. Even the way they count the hours is different. 7 am in Canada, would be called 1 in Ethiopia. Noon in Canada would be 6 in Ethiopia.
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In Canada, shyness can be interpreted as being rude, but shyness is considered a quality in Ethiopia.
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Darios Ahmed: Bridging Cultures

Darios talks about the first time he met an Aboriginal person.
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Lacina Dembele: My Hometown

Lacina talks about Cote d'Ivoire - the country where he was born - and how he got to Canada.
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Lacina Dembele: My Culture

There are three things that make the country of Ivory Coast unique.
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Lacina has a passion for music. He writes and performs his own music with his band, Les D’s.
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Click here to access Lacina’s Youtube channel

Lacina Dembele: Bridging Cultures

Ivory Coast, like Canada, has an Aboriginal population.
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Lacina talks about his experiences with racism in Canada.
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Lacina Dembele: All About Me

The hardest thing I have to do every day, and where I see myself in the future.
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Biya Joba: My Hometown

Biya grew up in Ethiopia. He talks about what it was like living there and shares his memories of arriving in Canada.
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Biya Joba: My Culture

Each region in Ethiopia has its unique foods.
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Singing and storytelling is very important in Ethiopia.
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Biya still listens to Ethiopian music. Hear him talk about his favourites.
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As it is in many cultures, family is very important to Ethiopians.
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Biya speaks two of Ethiopia's languages: Oromo and Amharic.
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Biya Joba: Bridging Cultures

Before arriving in Canada, Biya had never seen First Nations people. As he learns more about them he sees some similarities between his culture and theirs.
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Biya Joba: All About Me

The hardest part of my day.
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For Biya, there is one big difference between Ethiopia and Canada.
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What I'm most proud of.
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Where I want to be in ten years.
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Ben Oyat: My Hometown

Ben was born in Sudan but grew up in Uganda. He says it's a beautiful country but very different from Winnipeg.
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Ben Oyat: My Culture

Ben doesn’t see too many differences between Ugandans and Canadians.
Here, he talks about the important values for Ugandans: community, family, food, and language.
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Ben Oyat: Bridging Cultures

Ben sees many similarities between the Aboriginal and African cultures.
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He also thinks a difficult adjustment for new immigrants is communication, especially if they’re not fluent in English.
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Ben Oyat: All About Me

Ben talks about what he’s most proud of.
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He likes to dance, and his dancing style, including Ding Ding,
makes him stand out from most Winnipegers.
Audio (1:47)

Reem Hailemolokot: My Hometown

Reem was born in Sudan. Hear her describe her country and talk about her arriving in Winnipeg.
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Reem Hailemolokot: My Culture

Reem's parents are Eritrean. Because of this, she doesn't look Sudanese.
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Reem Hailemolokot: All About Me

Reem talks about a common reaction she gets when she tells people she’s from Africa.
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Richie Diggs: My Hometown

Richie grew up in Liberia. He talks about how it looks, its rich history, and the difficulty of moving to Canada without his father.
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Coming to a new country is difficult. Living alone in a new country is even more of a challenge for Richie because his family is still in Ghana and Liberia.
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When Richie moved to Winnipeg, he lived in the Central Park district. He quickly had to adjust to the difficulties of living in a large Canadian city and learned how to stay away from trouble.
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Richie Diggs: My Culture

The Liberian culture has a few particular characteristics: they're proud and a little mouthy.
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A difficulty for new immigrants is adjusting to the Canadian education system.
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Many people who meet Richie are surprised to learn he's from Africa and, like most Liberians, speaks English fluently.
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Does Richie think Canadians know enough about Africa?
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Richie Diggs: Bridging Cultures

Richie talks about his knowledge of Aboriginals in North America before coming to Canada.
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Richie Diggs: All About Me

Richie talks about the hardest thing he has to do every day plus where he sees himself in 10 years.
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