21–24 May 2026
As part of the Festival des musiciens du monde
From 21 to 24 May 2026, Visions et racines autochtones will provide a forum where Indigenous artists can engage in dialogue with creators and researchers from a variety of cultural traditions. Over four days, lectures, round-table discussions and workshops aimed at adults, school groups and families will foster an exchange of languages, imaginations and diverse forms of knowledge. Most activities are free of charge, but places are limited and registration is required.
9.30am – 10am | «Les paroles qui viennent avant toute chose» by Niioierren (Eileen) Patton
Opening ceremony
This opening ceremony, led by Niioierren (Eileen) Patton, takes a thoughtful approach to the venue, the context and the relationships present. It opens the event with a gesture of acknowledgement and connection, inviting the audience to enter a space of listening and respect.
Niioierren (Eileen) Patton is a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) elder from the community of Kahnawà:ke. She is recognised as a knowledge keeper, storyteller and cultural resource person, and regularly participates in ceremonies, institutional meetings and educational settings
Free
10am – 11am | Interview with Louise Bédard and Niioierren Eileen Patton
This interview highlights the relationship of trust and collaboration between Niioierren (Eileen) Patton and Louise Bédard. Through their shared conversation, they discuss a collaborative project rooted in listening, respect and a long-term perspective, in which memory, transmission and creation are woven together through a dialogue grounded in Indigenous traditions.
Interview conducted by Louise Bédard
Niioierren (Eileen) Patton is a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) elder from the community of Kahnawà:ke. She is recognised as a knowledge keeper, storyteller and cultural resource person, and regularly participates in ceremonies, institutional meetings and educational settings.
Louise Bédard is a director and documentary filmmaker based in Montreal who has been active in Quebec’s audiovisual sector since the 1990s. She has developed a practice rooted in reality, the local environment and human relationships, notably through personal projects and collaborations in the fields of documentary filmmaking and independent production.
Free
11am – 12pm | Moe Clark: music, language, healing
This meeting between Moe Clark and anthropologist Gilles Bibeau offers a thoughtful exploration of the connections between song, poetry, identity and spirituality. The conversation will address the themes of healing, transmission, cultural revitalisation and reconciliation that run through contemporary Indigenous artistic practices. The discussion will broaden our understanding of the role of art as a space for memory, resistance and the transformation of the world.Échange en anglais avec traduction en français.
Moe Clark is a Métis multidisciplinary artist based in Tio’tiá:ke / Montreal. Through song, poetry and vocal performance, she explores the voice as a space for connection, memory and a sense of being alive. Her work, rooted in languages, storytelling and deep listening, is part of a process of healing, transmission and dialogue between cultures and generations.
Free
1.30 pm – 2.30 pm | Healing the world through art. A journey through life with Domingo Cisneros
Come and join this conversation between Domingo Cisneros and anthropologist Gilles Bibeau on the concept of healing, understood as a vital, creative and spiritual process. A humanist with boundless curiosity, Domingo Cisneros has devoted his life to listening to the living world—plants, animals, humans—by blending indigenous knowledge of nature with an artistic practice where the real and the fantastical interplay. The conversation will explore his life journey and his work, crafted from natural materials and sensitive narratives, to examine the profound connections between creation, loss, rebirth and communion with the living world.
Domingo Cisneros is a Métis visual artist and writer from the Tepehuane Nation, born in Mexico and based in Quebec since the late 1960s. A pioneering figure in contemporary Indigenous art, he has had a profound impact on the art world through an artistic practice rooted in the land and the boreal forest, using natural materials and a socio-ecological approach. A former teacher and head of the Arts and Communications department at Manitou College, he has played a major role as a mentor to several generations of artists. In 2018, UQAM awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his life’s work.
Free
1.30 pm – 2.30 pm | Workshop led by Moe Clark
Workshop for schools only
2.30pm – 3.30pm | Playing with sounds and words. A travelling writing workshop with Aurélia Lassaque
Workshop for the general public
Playing with Sounds and Words is a travelling writing workshop led by the Occitan poet Aurélia Lassaque. Through sound games, rhythms, languages and observational walks, participants are invited to explore a form of writing that is lively, sensitive and intuitive. Weather permitting, the workshop will take place outdoors, allowing the landscape, voices and movements to inspire poetic creation.
Aurélia Lassaque is an Occitan poet whose writing is rooted in the Occitan language, which she explores in its oral, rhythmic and sensory dimensions. Her work, often published in bilingual Occitan–French editions, examines the links between language, territory, memory and the living world. Through performance readings and travelling workshops, she transforms poetry into a space of circulation between landscapes, bodies and voices, where transmission occurs through listening and movement.
This workshop takes place outdoors. Please meet at Parc Lahaie in front of the Centre des musiciens du monde (5043 Rue Saint-Dominique)
Free
2.30 pm – 3.30 pm | Workshop led by D. Cisneros
Workshop for schools only
8.00 pm| Poetry reading with Joséphine Bacon and Aurélia Lassaque
Poetry reading in Innu Aimun, Occitan and French
Breath and trace. Joséphine Bacon and Aurélia Lassaque kindle an initial blaze of pure words. Between the dizzying humility of the tundra and the mystical sensuality of the Occitan region, their poetry unites the wind of the spirit with the ancestral stride of the walker. An intimate and foundational vigil, woven from shared silences, to remind us that our flesh and that of the world are born of the same shiver.
Fee applies – limited places available
10am – 11am | Indigenous languages in the singular
This event offers an open-ended exploration of Indigenous languages as living, context-specific and uniquely distinct expressions of the cultures that sustain them. Through thoughtful dialogue, the discussion will examine the ways in which these languages are conceived, described and passed on today, as well as the worldviews they convey. The discussion will address contemporary issues surrounding the preservation, revitalisation and teaching of Indigenous languages, highlighting their central role in the cultural continuity, identity and creativity of peoples.
Jimena Terraza is a linguist and lecturer at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), specialising in the Indigenous languages of the Americas. She is also the programme coordinator for Arts, Humanities and Communication at Kiuna College. Born in Argentina, she initially devoted her research to the Indigenous languages of her native country, notably Wichi, before continuing her work in Quebec on the languages of the Algonquian family (Innu, Cree, Ojibwe, Atikamekw). Her career has been marked by a constant commitment to the documentation, transmission and revitalisation of Indigenous languages, in close collaboration with the communities.
Free
10am–11am | The Great Outdoors: an introduction to Inuit throat singing
11am – 12pm | Uashteskun, Innu writer
During this interview, Uashteskun will take part in a discussion exploring the links between identity, territory and writing. Drawing on her life story and her work, the conversation will address the sense of belonging, the experience of being uprooted from one’s territory, and our relationship with the living world. The event will also include a reflection on environmental issues, in the spirit of an ode to the earth and to living things, where literature becomes a space for transmission, memory and reconnection.
Uashteskun is an Innu writer whose work sensitively explores issues of identity, territory and belonging. Through his stories, which are often rooted in the experiences of Indigenous youth, he examines the effects of exile, the loss of bearings and our relationship with the natural world, using writing as a space for reflection, transmission and resistance.
Free
2.00–3.00 pm | Roots, uprooting, and re-rooting with A. Dudemaine, A. Fournier and G. Bibeau
Alain Fournier is a Quebec architect renowned for his long-standing commitment to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, particularly in northern Quebec and Canada. Specialising in northern architecture, he has completed numerous institutional and community projects in close collaboration with Indigenous communities. His work, recognised with the Ernest-Cormier Prize (2022), places architecture at the service of identity, territory and self-determination, by supporting peoples’ ability to take control of their built environment.
Gilles Bibeau is an anthropologist, professor emeritus and essayist, renowned for his long-standing commitment to the Indigenous peoples of Quebec and the Americas. His work combines anthropological research, critical reflection and intercultural dialogue, with a constant focus on issues of territory, memory, transmission and social justice. A key figure in fostering dialogue between academic, cultural and community circles, he has spent several decades working to create spaces for shared expression, where thought, listening and culture become catalysts for mutual understanding and collective transformation.
Free
3pm – 4pm | Between home and school: the Atikamekw language with Gaetane Petiquay
Gaétane Petiquay will discuss the educational challenges faced by young Indigenous people. Drawing on her experience as Director of Education at Wemotaci, among the Atikamekw people, Gaétane Petiquay—now an Atikamekw teacher at Kiuna Indigenous College—will share a vision of education rooted in the reality of communities, with a focus on the place of children and teenagers. The discussion with anthropologist G. Bibeau will explore how young people navigate their identity amidst the memory of historical violence and a deep connection to the land, both physical and spiritual. Together, the speakers will reflect on the role of education as a space for healing, knowledge transmission and openness, enabling young people to look forward to a future full of meaning and hope.
Free
6pm – 7pm | Pre-concert talk – Innu Uman
Pre-concert talk at the Church of Saint-Enfant-Jésus
Further details to follow
Free
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Please note that registration for the pre-concert talk does not grant you access to the concert. You will need to purchase a ticket for the Innu Uman concert in order to attend.
8.00 pm | Innu Uman concert
“Innu Uman” combines two words meaning “HUMAN” in Innu-Aimun and Occitan. Bringing together languages, territories and memories, this performance offers a poetic, musical and sensory journey in which Innu and Occitan voices unite in a shared spirit of resistance and beauty.
In a diverse Francophone world, Indigenous and regional languages are the guardians of an essential memory. Born of a territory, they embody a worldview and express the connection between the human, the living and the invisible. Innu-Aimun and Occitan, deeply rooted, bear witness to this sensitive relationship with the world.
At a time when biodiversity is in decline and languages are disappearing, this performance charts a path between resistance and resonance.
INNU UMAN explores the existence of a shared language, made of breath and listening, conveyed through poetry.
On stage:
Joséphine Bacon, poet
Aurélia Lassaque, poet
Alain Larribet, composer, singer and musician
Clotilde Gilles, piano and cello
For a fee
10am–11am | Documentary film as a tool for Indigenous activism with Francine Saïa
This interview with Francine Saïa, a documentary filmmaker and editor, explores the documentary as a tool for engaging with Indigenous realities. In particular, she discusses her close collaboration with Arthur Lamothe, a leading figure in socially conscious Indigenous cinema originally from the Béarn region, and the role she played in shaping, preserving and passing on this essential body of work. A testimony to a form of cinema that is grassroots, political and deeply rooted in Indigenous struggles.
Francine Saïa is a Quebec-based documentary filmmaker and editor. Active since the 1970s, she has distinguished herself through socially engaged works addressing issues of territory, power and social justice, notably *À qui appartient ce gage ?* (1973) and *Notre terre* (1980). Her work is part of a tradition of critical documentary that gives a central place to the voices and struggles of Indigenous peoples.
Free
11 pm – 12 pm | Screening of Arthur Lamothe’s documentary film: Mémoire battante (Part )
Screening of the documentary in the presence of Francine Saïa
Further details to follow
Free
1.30 pm – 2.30 pm | Screening of Arthur Lamothe’s documentary film: Mémoire battante (Part 2)
Screening of the documentary in the presence of Francine Saïa
Further details to follow
Free
2.30 pm – 4 pm | Screening of Arthur Lamothe’s documentary film: Mémoire battante (Part 3)
Screening of the documentary in the presence of Francine Saïa
Further details to follow
Free
6pm – 7pm | Pre-concert talk
A conversation between Kiya Tabassian (Artistic Director of Constantinople) and Frédéric Léotar (ethnomusicologist)
Free
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Please note: For those wishing to attend the ‘La Traversée des Andes’ concert at 8pm, here are the two options available to you:
– Individual concert tickets on sale here (Constantinople Box Office)
– Festival Pass – 5 concerts on sale here (Centre des Musiciens du Monde Box Office)
8.00 pm | La Traversée des Andes
Constantinople and the Centre for World Musicians present
LA TRAVERSÉE DES ANDES
This concert reimagines the music of the Andes and South America through manuscripts dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, including the Codice Trujillo and the Codice Luz y Norte. These written sources are complemented by pieces from oral and folk traditions passed down from generation to generation, creating a musical evening with a rich repertoire that reflects the vibrant and radiant character of these peoples.
Live on stage
Kiya Tabassian, setar and artistic director
Federico Tarazona, charango
Jonatan Alvarado, vocals
Tanya La Perrière, baroque violin and viola d’amore
Etienne Lafrance, double bass
Patrick Graham, percussion
Sigiberto Domingo Velasquez Lecca, quena
Maria Consuelo Jeri Molina, Quechua singer
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This project is funded by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Asociación ZINIA in Peru.
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Ticketed event
This concert is accessible by purchasing the Festival Pass – 5 concerts via the Centre des musiciens du monde box office
To buy a single ticket, visit the Constantinople box office
10am–11am | Family Workshop: The Great Outdoors
The throat singers and co-artistic directors of Oktoecho – Indigenous Section, Nina Segalowitz, Lydia Etok, and choir director Tiphaine Legrand, invite you to take part in the choral work *Les Grands Espaces* by composer Katia Makdissi-Warren. This composition was created with the aim of passing on a love for this culture to young people. Drawing its inspiration from throat singing, this playful piece takes listeners of all ages on a journey into a highly creative musical world. Come and discover and share the astonishing richness of this tradition. Over 60,000 young people have already taken part in this workshop in Quebec, Canada and even in France.
Partner: Collectif Oktoecho
11.15am – 12.15pm | Family Workshop: Traditional Atikamekw tales by Jeannette Laloche
This activity will be led by Jeannette Laloche (Atikamekw). Its aim is to introduce families and the general public to the context and framework within which Indigenous folklore is passed down. Before sharing stories, the artist will provide some background information to introduce children to the rich and mysterious world of little-known Indigenous traditions.
Jeannette Laloche is currently Deputy Head of Primary Education in the community of Wemotaci. For several years, she served as early years coordinator and teacher at the Siskitin School in Wemotaci. Keen to adapt the curriculum to the Atikamekw’s worldview, she contributed to the project aimed at introducing the Atisokana into the curriculum.
Paid (includes the ‘Les Grands Espaces’ activity at 10am)
Alain Fournier is a Quebec architect renowned for his long-standing commitment to First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities, particularly in northern Quebec and Canada. Specialising in northern architecture, he has completed numerous institutional and community projects in close collaboration with Indigenous communities. His work, recognised with the Ernest-Cormier Prize (2022), places architecture at the service of identity, territory and self-determination, by supporting peoples’ ability to take control of their built environment.
André Dudemaine is an Innu cultural producer, filmmaker and broadcaster, renowned for his pivotal role in promoting Indigenous cultures in Quebec and Canada. Co-founder and director of Terres en vues, he is also director of the Festival international Présence autochtone (FIPA), which he has led since its inception. Through his work in film, radio and cultural mediation, he has been working for several decades to amplify Indigenous voices and foster dialogue between peoples, placing art and culture at the heart of processes of recognition and healing.
Aurélia Lassaque is an Occitan poet whose writing is rooted in the Occitan language, which she explores in its oral, rhythmic and sensory dimensions. Her work, often published in bilingual Occitan–French editions, examines the links between language, territory, memory and the living world. Through performance readings and travelling workshops, she transforms poetry into a space of circulation between landscapes, bodies and voices, where transmission occurs through listening and movement.
Domingo Cisneros is a Métis visual artist and writer from the Tepehuane Nation, born in Mexico and based in Quebec since the late 1960s. A pioneering figure in contemporary Indigenous art, he has had a profound impact on the art world through an artistic practice rooted in the land and the boreal forest, using natural materials and a socio-ecological approach. A former teacher and head of the Arts and Communications department at Manitou College, he has played a major role as a mentor to several generations of artists. In 2018, UQAM awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his life’s work.
Francine Saïa is a Quebec-based documentary filmmaker and editor. Active since the 1970s, she has distinguished herself through socially engaged works addressing issues of territory, power and social justice, notably À qui appartient ce gage ? (1973) and Notre terre (1980). Her work is part of a tradition of critical documentary that gives a central place to the voices and struggles of Indigenous peoples.
Gaétane Petiquay has been working for several decades in the fields of education, language and culture within the Atikamekw Nation. After training as a teacher, she held various positions at the Atikamekw Nation Council and the Wemotaci Atikamekw Council, notably as a teacher, headteacher and director of educational, linguistic and cultural services. She has dedicated her career to the transmission of the language, oral literature and the Atikamekw perspective on history.
Gilles Bibeau is an anthropologist, professor emeritus and essayist, renowned for his long-standing commitment to the Indigenous peoples of Quebec and the Americas. His work combines anthropological research, critical reflection and intercultural dialogue, with a constant focus on issues of territory, memory, transmission and social justice. A key figure in fostering dialogue between academic, cultural and community circles, he has spent several decades working to create spaces for shared expression, where thought, listening and culture become catalysts for mutual understanding and collective transformation.
Jeannette Laloche is currently Deputy Head of Primary Education in the community of Wemotaci. For several years, she served as early years coordinator and teacher at the Siskitin School in Wemotaci. Keen to adapt the curriculum to the Atikamekw’s worldview, she contributed to the project aimed at introducing the Atisokana into the curriculum.
Jimena Terraza is a linguist and lecturer at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), specialising in the Indigenous languages of the Americas. She is also the programme coordinator for Arts, Humanities and Communication at Kiuna College. Born in Argentina, she initially devoted her research to the Indigenous languages of her native country, notably Wichi, before continuing her work in Quebec on the languages of the Algonquian family (Innu, Cree, Ojibwe, Atikamekw). Her career has been marked by a constant commitment to the documentation, transmission and revitalisation of Indigenous languages, in close collaboration with the communities
Joséphine Bacon is an Innu poet and writer from Pessamit. A leading figure in contemporary Indigenous literature in Quebec, she has been working for several decades to preserve memory, the Innu-Aimun language and the connection to the land. Her writing, both personal and collective, gives voice to the elders, our relationship with the living world and the paths to reconciliation, making poetry a space for listening, resistance and healing.
Kiya Tabassian is an internationally acclaimed setar virtuoso and composer. Born in Iran and based in Quebec since his teenage years, he draws on Persian classical music and contemporary composition to develop a body of work characterised by cultural fusion and the passing on of tradition. In 2001, he co-founded the Constantinople ensemble, which he directs artistically, and with which he has created over fifty programmes performed on major stages across five continents.
Louise Bédard has been active in the Quebec audiovisual industry since the 1990s, when she worked for many years as a location manager. Her encounter with Niioierren (Eileen) Patton proved pivotal in her career: moved by the depth of their exchange, she embarked on a documentary film project born out of this relationship, founded on listening, respect and time spent together.
Moe Clark is a Métis multidisciplinary artist based in Tio’tiá:ke / Montreal. Through song, poetry and vocal performance, she explores the voice as a space for connection, memory and a sense of being alive. Her work, rooted in languages, storytelling and deep listening, is part of a process of healing, transmission and dialogue between cultures and generations.
Niioierren (Eileen) Patton is a Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) elder from the community of Kahnawà:ke. She is recognised as a knowledge keeper, storyteller and cultural resource person, and regularly participates in ceremonies, institutional meetings and educational settings
Uashteskun, a Pekuakamiulnu from Mashteuiatsh, has always felt as though she were floating like the Northern Lights, as if she did not belong to this world. Writing allows her to connect earth and sky and to forge bonds with others. Uashteskun has written two novels, Envole-toi Mikun and L’amie de mon père, published by Éditions Hannenorak, as well as venturing into poetry with Un roi sans couronne, published by Héritage jeunesse.
The Centre des musiciens du monde would like to extend its warmest thanks to the partners and collaborators who have contributed to the development of this programme. A special thank you to Selma Gessous and Yara El-Ghadban (Espace de la Diversité), Rodney Saint-Éloi (Mémoire d’encrier), and Stéphanie Bénetteau (Festival interculturel du conte), for their invaluable collaboration, generosity and commitment to fostering dialogue between voices, knowledge and cultures.
Any questions?
How do I get there?
🚇 By metro
The venue is located near Laurier station (orange line).
It’s about a 10-minute walk from the exit.🚌 By bus
Two bus routes stop nearby:
Bus 711 West
Bus 51 West
🚲 By bike
A cycle path runs right past the Centre on Laurier Street.
You can lock your bike nearby, but please note there are no bike racks:
in front of the Centre des musiciens du monde,
in front of the Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus in Mile-End
in Parc Lahaie
A BIXI station is located just in front of Lahaie Park, on the north side of Laurier Street (other stations are also available in the neighbourhood).
🚗 By car
Behind the Saint-Enfant-Jésus Church in Mile-End is a private, pay-and-display car park.
Payment is made via the ClicknPark app (clicknpark.com).
🚕 Taxis and ride-sharing
Taxi and ride-sharing services (Uber, Eva, etc.) serve the neighbourhood very well.
The easiest drop-off points are on Laurier, Saint-Dominique or Saint-Joseph streets.
How do I book my place?
You can book your ticket directly online via the festival’s general ticket office:
👉 centredesmusiciensdumonde.tuxedobillet.com. The festival also offers Festival Passes, which are ideal for enjoying several concerts at a discounted rate. A student discount is available (proof of identity will be required on the day).
And if you decide at the last minute, you can also buy your ticket at the door, just before the concert, subject to availability.
Are there any free activities?
Yes! From 21 to 24 May 2026, the Indigenous Visions and Roots programme is offering free activities (registration required) aimed at adults, school groups and families. The programme includes lectures, round-table discussions and workshops led by Indigenous artists in dialogue with creators and researchers from a variety of cultural traditions.
Where do the activities take place?
Are the premises accessible to people with reduced mobility?
Accessibility varies depending on the venue. Some venues are accessible, but many sites have stairs, which may restrict access for people with reduced mobility. However, it is possible to make certain venues accessible on request, including:
As the situation varies depending on the activity, it is important to call us before you visit so that we can make the necessary arrangements.
What time should I arrive?
All concerts start at 8 pm. As there are no numbered seats, we recommend arriving as early as possible so you can choose your seat and get settled.
Doors will open at 6 pm on each concert night. This will give you plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the bar (serving alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and light snacks), and browse the silent auction items on offer each evening.
Are the activities suitable for children?
Is it possible to meet the artists?
What music will I be listening to?
Do I need to know anything about world music?
Can I get a refund for my ticket?
All sales are final. No refunds will be given for tickets purchased online, by telephone or in person.
