Proudly kicking off the year, artistic director, Janet Lumb and the Festival Accès Asie team warmly invites you to a festive 5 to 7 in the surrounding environment of Gesù-Centre de créativité. On this special occasion, you will hear Odaya, the 1st Nation’s women’s vocal group who come from the four corners of Canada, and who will pay homage to the memory of their ancestors with traditional songs.

«The sound of drums recalls the beating of our hearts and that mother and Earth are one. »

— Odaya

Odaya was formed from a gathering and organization of Indigenous Women of Quebec in 2006. It has now been 3 years since their first performance, which was during International Women’s Day. Socially and culturally active with the different communities, Odaya has participated in many festivals and events with the goal of promoting the rights of women and indigenous peoples.

In 2008, these singers were appreciated and heard during Domagaya, an eventful gathering between indigenous peoples and the S.A.T (Société des arts technologiques) during Quebec’s 400th anniversary celebrations, as well as in the First Nations Garden of the Montreal Botanical Garden. They participated during the course of last summer in several Pow-Wows throughout the Quebec. Odaya unites Anik Sioui from Anishinabeg (Algonquin) and Wendat (Huron) Nations, Émilie Monnet from Anishinabeg Nations, Kary Ann Deer from Kanienkehaka (Mohawk) Nations, Kim Picard from the Innu Nations, and Lisa Gagné from Ojibway (Saulteaux) Nations.

Proud of their cultural identity and driven by their sense of the sacred towards their respective communities, the members of Odaya are drawn in uniting their voices to share their heritage. Reviving traditional songs in their unique mother tongue, they pay homage to their ancestors, celebrate the union of the past, present and future and nourish hope for the generations to come.