In 2024, Riddu Riđđu broke with over 20 years of festival tradition when they chose not to present a specific people, but rather showcase gender and sexuality diversity in the indigenous world. During the festival, the audience had the opportunity to get to know a wide-ranging delegation with representatives from Sápmi, Canada, USA and Kalaallit Nunaat.
The delegation was led and curated by Ceilidh Pitaw, a recognised Mi'kmaq artist from Nova Scotia. This year's northerners were able to showcase many different elements from across the Nordic region. "We got to see and help make a lot of different things. We got to see things like how to make candles for drag shows.
This year's biggest event at the Riddu Riđđu Festival was the drag show. For the first time in history, Sami drag artists were also part of the entertainment. Led by Ritni Tears from the Sami delegation, we got to see drag artists from many different parts of the Nordic region. Aunty Tamara, Feather Talia, Randy Rivers and Lady Shug were the other drag performers. Aunty Tamara also had two Australian drag artists with her.
Throughout the programme there were various workshops related to different indigenous cultures, such as beading a piece of jewellery, making candles and much more. The theme of being queer in an indigenous context was brought out in panel discussions about what it's like to grow up queer in an indigenous community. Here, topics such as exclusion and prejudice were brought up, as well as how to meet people in everyday life and accept each other as different.
The theme of the year 2024 was, and remains, an important one, building understanding around different orientations and connections to gender and love. Through this year's Riddu Riđđu, queer indigenous people have been able to highlight stories and perspectives that help to break down stereotypes and create broader understanding.
