A new Indigenous spot will soon be available in the heart of downtown Edmonton. It will offer Edmontonians a combination of a traditional Indigenous café and a space for live performances, music, and art.
Kakio Productions is the vision of Edmonton artist and four-time world champion hoop dancer Dallas Arcand. He says, Kakio means ‘everybody’ in Cree, hoping his business will become a hub that brings Edmontonians together.
“When I perform, I perform for all kinds of audiences. All cultures, we’re representing for that community, but with open arms to everybody to come in celebrate with us, come in eat with us, come in maybe do business with us,” said Arcand.
“Being here and being present here is important because this is our traditional territory as Indigenous people, so I believe it’s our responsibility as well.”
Arcand’s passion for arts and culture has always been significant in his upbringing. He says while he wants to showcase his talent, he also hopes Kakio helps remove the stigmatization around Indigenous communities.
“It’s important not only for me but for the community. The community needs it because there’s a lot of negativity out there associated with our community- our Indigenous community, there’s a lot of sad stories out there, and more of our success stories need to be celebrated,” said Arcand.
Indigenous café Tee Pee Treats will be operating the café part of Kakio Productions. Owner Curtis Cardinal says he’s excited to spread Edmonton’s best bannock from downtown Edmonton.
“We had talked about this, and now it’s coming into fruition. I think it’s needed in Edmonton because it’s like core of the Indigenous population in Canada. What we wanna know is,” said Cardinal.
“These things, music and food, go together. And in our culture, that’s how it’s always been. This is what we wanna do, bring people together with the events, the music, and the food.”
Arcand says he wants his Kakio to showcase the talent, diversity, and creativity of Edmonton artists, hoping to inspire more Indigenous youth to pursue their dreams.
“This business here is more about legacy building. It’s more about making something, building something even bigger than myself. The vision for that is to make it, build it, and pass it on to the next generations and create jobs for people, create opportunities,” said Arcand.
Kakio Productions is located on 102 Avenue and 106 Street. Arcand is hoping to open their doors to the public in the new year.
