The final edition of Indigenous Fridays at Cabot Square took place last week.

For the past two months, the Native Women’s Shelter has organized a series of workshops on Indigenous art on Friday afternoons. They topped off the series with a closing concert.

The events are part of the Cabot Square project, a collaboration with the Ville-Marie borough that aims to include the square's inhabitants in the borough’s revitalization plans.

Native Women’s Shelter Executive Director Nakuset was instrumental in the project’s founding, and the organization still takes part.

Cabot Square often serves as a gathering place for homeless Montrealers, many of whom are Indigenous women, says Indigenous Fridays Coordinator Morgan Geyer.

“Indigenous Fridays is a way to bridge the gap between those that live in Cabot Square and the rest of the community.”

Irkar Beljaars, a mediator working in the square, says that he sees a lot of tough situations day to day – but that events like Indigenous Fridays are all the more welcome.

“I think they’re needed here so that we can show the community that we’re not lost.”

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