2 - Attend or volunteer at a National Indigenous Peoples Day Event
Image from Pixabay
This series of blog posts is inspired by the list 21 Things You Can Do to Change the World created by Bob Joseph in his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. Focusing on actionable steps, these blog posts will take each step and provide links, contacts, and suggestion lists.
View all of our 21 Things posts here.
The second Action we chose to highlight is Attend or volunteer at a National Indigenous Peoples Day Event
What is now called National Indigenous Peoples Day was first suggested as a day of recognition in 1982 by the National Indian Brotherhood (now called the Assembly of First Nations). It was first established as a day to celebrate Indigenous culture in Quebec in 1990.
By 1996 the Canadian government announced its intention to establish June 21st as a national day of recognition and in 2009 that expanded to include the whole month of June as National Indigenous History Month. The intent of this month is to highlight Indigenous history and culture as well as contemporary issues faced by communities across the country. Below you will find a list of events being held this year to celebrate. These are mostly virtual events, but there is something for everyone to enjoy.
To view some videos from past celebrations, visit here and here.
National Indigenous Peoples Day City of Surrey
Celebrating for the entire month of June is the Talking Stick Festival. To honour their 20th anniversary they are hosting year long events. The entire month of June they are offering online performances and presentations. Learn about the various events here.
National Indigenous Peoples Day Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Society
Free admission to the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art on June 20
Decolonize Everything - Territorial Land Acknowledgements: an Interactive Introduction on National Indigenous Peoples Day
Aboriginal People’s Television Network is hosting two days of streaming performances. Learn about the wonderful artists here.
There are also some workshops available on the Indigenous Tourism BC website.
Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day!
These blog posts are designed to be a starting point to help people toward the path of reconciliation and allyship. We encourage everyone to do their own reading and research. Want to learn more? Check out the Indigenous Relations Academy, which has books, training, and resources. You can also purchase 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act here.