Storytelling has been an important part of life for many Indigenous nations, says Ariel Smith.

Curator of a touring package of animated shorts by Canadian Aboriginal filmmakers, she says that stories “affirm our identities and pass on traditional knowledge and worldviews.”

The Aboriginal Education Centre will host a free public screening of Welcome to Kanata on Thursday, February 26, at 7 p.m. in room 352, Dillon Hall. The collection celebrates and showcases the talents of First Nations, Métis and Inuit artists through a selection of shorts which are distinct from each other in technique, subject, and execution, Smith says.

“This thematic and aesthetic diversity is intentional and reflective of our diversity as Indigenous nations,” she says.