Michele LeTourneau
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 14/00) - "You've got to use the word 'incredible,'" says Fort Smith artist Sonny MacDonald when describing the Great Northern Arts Festival.

MacDonald recently returned from the annual Invuik event, which he has attended since it began 12 years ago.

"When it started off, we were only about 12 or 14 of us. I was one of the first, when it started, to be asked to go up there."

MacDonald says he can't really remember as far back as 12 years ago to remember who was there. But he does remember saying that it was called the Great Northern Arts Festival and that the following year it would be called the Greater, and finally the Greatest, and so on and so on.

"There was over a hundred artists this last time, and performers and cultural events. The whole nine yards. Has it ever grown."

At the 2000 Inuvik festival, held at the end of July, MacDonald gave a workshop. He'll be doing something similar at the 12th annual South Slave Friendship Festival in Fort Smith this coming weekend.

He's seen the Smith festival grow "in leaps and bounds" since it takes place in his hometown.

"I went into the whole theory of using natural materials," MacDonald says about the Invuik workshop.

He means allowing the natural shape and texture to remain, while using them to carve a shape of his choice.

"Say the raven head and buffalo horn. You can identify that it is a raven head that's carved. But, also, you can identify that it is a buffalo horn, because I leave the horn as natural as possible."

In Fort Smith, MacDonald will be doing demonstrations. The goal is not to come to a festival with a whole bunch of completed work, he says.

"A big part of these festivals is to bring the raw material, bring the semi-finished product and the finished product, and let the people handle some of the raw material. The moose antler or the buffalo horn, whatever it may be. And that gives them a better insight into what is taking place from point A to point B."

Over 100 performers and artists are scheduled to attend the friendship festival Aug. 17-20.