Moccasin Making Workshop YTC Urban Program X Diamond Witney January 27 and 28, 2024

Moccasin Making Workshop with Diamond Witney (January 27 & 28, 2024)

Embark on a creative journey at the Moccasin Making Workshop led by Diamond Witney, scheduled for January 27 and 28, 2024. This two-day immersive experience invites YTC First Nation urban members to delve into the art of crafting moccasins. Exclusive to YTC member First Nations, the workshop will take place in Edmonton, Alberta (exact location to be announced). Participants will have the opportunity to refine their skills from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. 

Ensure your spot by registering before the deadline on January 18, 2024. Further details will be provided upon registration. For inquiries and additional information, reach out to Joanne Cardinal at joanne.cardinal@ytcadmin.ca or call 587-524-0180 EXT 345. 

Online registration for the Moccasin Making Workshop can be found here. If encountering issues accessing the registration link, feel free to copy and paste the following URL: https://forms.gle/2atmc7oNv2pWirVY9.  

Join us in this cultural exploration and take the first step towards mastering the art of moccasin making.

Artist Diamond Witney's Biography

Diamond Witney is a Métis-Ukrainian Artisan and owner of  “Okimaskwew- Metis Design and Adornment.” She is from and resides in Treaty 6 Territory and is claimed by the Metis Nation of Alberta.

Her Métis family name is Bourque and also includes the Paquette, Chalifoux, Decoine, and Ladouceur family lines who settled in what is now known as Lac La Biche. 

Beading and working with textiles has been essential to connecting to her Indigenous heritage and developing her identity as a Métis Iskwew. In creating beaded pieces to wear and display, she is practicing a gift inherited from her maternal grandmother. It is this gift she hopes to share with others to inspire their Indigenous reclamation and assertion of their Indigeneity.  She acknowledges her cultural identity with pride for her grandfathers and grandmothers who lived in a time when they felt they could not.