Anishinaabe Days 2025: celebration of culture, community and connection

Indigenous culture was celebrated over the weekend through music, dance and art at this year's Anishinaabe Days.

Naawi-Oodena was filled with people celebrating and paying tribute to Indigenous culture.

Hosted by the Treaty 1 Development Corporation, the two-day festival brought together community members and visitors for a weekend of music, dance, art and storytelling.

The event featured a traditional powwow, Anishinaabe Idol, an Indigenous market and children’s activities — all with free admission.

“Four years ago, when the first one was coming up, our governing council said: ‘There’s no real big urban event for our membership.’ And they said, let’s start that happening,” said Cody Mercer, chief development officer, reflecting on the event’s history.

“The first one was held at Assiniboine Downs and we had about 800 people attend. Today, about 3,000 to 3,500.”

This year marks the first time the event was held at Naawi-Oodena.

“It’s the largest urban, jointly held reserve in Canada. It gives our members a site to hold these events,” Mercer said.

“It’s not just Treaty 1 holding events here. We have a lot of communities reach out and say, ‘We need a site for our urban membership to do something,’ and we say, ‘Come on down, you’re more than welcome.’”

Naawi-Oodena is a 65-hectare urban reserve that previously housed the Kapyong Barracks military base. The site continues to host events for various Indigenous organizations, including upcoming gatherings for wildfire evacuees organized by the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.