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A new Indigenous space will soon be available in the heart of downtown Edmonton. It will offer Edmontonians a traditional Indigenous café and a venue for live performances, music and art.
Kakio Productions is the vision of Edmonton artist and four-time world champion hoop dancer Dallas Arcand. Kakiyo means ‘everyone’ in Cree, he says, adding he hopes his business will become a hub that brings Edmontonians together.
“When I perform, I perform for all types of audiences. All cultures, for the community we’re representing, but open arms for everyone to come celebrate with us, come with us, dine with us, come and maybe do business with us,” Arcand said.
“It is important to be here and be present because this is our traditional territory as indigenous people, so I believe it is our responsibility as well.”
Arcand’s passion for art and culture has always been important in his upbringing. He says that while he wants to showcase his talent, he also hopes that Kakiyo will help remove stigma against indigenous communities.
“It’s important not only to me but also to the community. The community needs this because there’s a lot of negativity associated with our community — our Indigenous community — there’s a lot of sad stories out there, and our more success stories need to be celebrated,” Arcand said.
Homegrown café Tee Pee Treats will operate the café portion of Kakiyo Productions. Owner Curtis Cardinal says he’s excited to spread Edmonton’s best bannock to downtown Edmonton.
Cardinal said, “We talked about this, and now it’s coming to fruition. I think there’s a need for this in Edmonton because it’s kind of the core of the Indigenous population in Canada. What we want to know is.”
“These things, music and food, go together. And in our culture, it’s always been that way. That’s what we want to do, bring people together with events, music and food.”
Arcand says he wants his Kakiyo to showcase the talent, diversity and creativity of Edmonton artists, hoping to inspire more Indigenous youth to pursue their dreams.
Arcand said, “This business here is about legacy building. It’s about creating something, creating something bigger than yourself. The vision for it is to build it, build it and pass it on to the next generations and create jobs for people, create opportunities.”
Kakiyo Productions is located at 102 Avenue and 106 Street. Arcand is hoping to open its doors to the public in the new year.