National Indigenous People’s Day
By: Jennifer Derraugh-Nelson
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. This day was chosen in cooperation with Indigenous organizations because of the cultural and spiritual significance of the summer solstice for Indigenous Peoples [2-3]. June 21 is a day for all Canadians to celebrate and recognize the history, unique heritages, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Metis Peoples [1].
History of National Indigenous Peoples Day
2022 Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrations, Source: The National, CBC
Calls for the creation of a day to honor the Indigenous Peoples of Canada began in 1982 by the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations). In 1995, two separate groups recommended the designation of a national holiday to celebrate Indigenous Peoples. These two groups were the Sacred Assembly, a national conference of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people chaired by Elijah Harper, and The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples. In 1996, Governor General Romeo LeBlanc proclaimed June 21 would become National Aboriginal Day. On June 11, 2017, The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, announced the renaming of this day to National Indigenous Peoples Day [1-3].
Indigenous Peoples celebrate their culture and heritage on National Indigenous Peoples Day. They also see this day as an opportunity to reflect on the impact of colonization on Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Dawn Madahbee Leach explained in a CBC article that National Indigenous Peoples Day is a “celebration of people that have survived a lot of challenges” [10]. National Indigenous Peoples Day is also an opportunity learn about and recognize the ongoing disparities that still exist for Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Jeanette Corbiere Lavell, an elder from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory, stated National Indigenous Day is an opportunity to celebrate the role of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and is an important step in moving towards reconciliation: "...if people recognized that, they might appreciate who we are, our history and what we can do for each other, especially as we're coming into the future and dealing with climate change and resources. and looking at global issues as well" [10].
Contributions of Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous Peoples have made many contributions to Canada and the world in diverse fields such a medicine, agriculture and the arts. Alanis Obomsawin, a member of the Abenaki Nation, is an award-winning documentary Canadian filmmaker and director who has contributed to the arts. Former Senator Murray Sinclair, who was the first Indigenous judge appointed in Manitoba and who was involved with the Truth and Reconciliation as Chief Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. To learn of more Indigenous Peoples and the contributions they made please refer to the following links:
https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/national-aboriginal-day-21-important-indigenous-people-to-celebrate
https://news.onefeather.ca/10-indigenous-influencers--trailblazers-you-should-know
The development of Canada, as we know it, would be significantly different without the support that Indigenous Peoples provided to European explorers. Canada was difficult to traverse due to the terrain, ever changing weather and lack of infrastructure for transportation by foot or carriage. Indigenous Peoples provided canoes and kayaks to allow them to navigate the Canadian landscape. Canoes were modified for specific purposes such as navigating the lakes, rivers and oceans of Canada [4-6], and these vessels helped the Europeans to navigate, map, and, as we now know, colonize Canada.
“It took a long time to gather the information and learn the skill because it’s difficult to learn how to bend a piece of wood from a book…it’s something you have to learn yourself and the material will teach you because if you’re not using that material with respect, it’ll break”
Indigenous Peoples of Canada have begun to reclaim the canoe as a symbol and tool of Indigenous nationhood, resilience, and resurgence. One way the Indigenous Peoples are doing this is by building canoes with traditional tools and materials and paddling ancestral trails. This has strengthened the Indigenous Peoples connection to their ancestral way of being [7]. To honour this, Parks Canada partners with Todd Labrador, a Mi’kma’ki master canoe builder, to deliver a drop-in canoe building program for adolescents in in the Bear River First Nation in Nova Scotia. Todd Labrador has taught himself the process of building birchbark canoes with traditional materials and tools. He learned the craft of making birchbark canoes from his father, Charlie Labrador, the first chief of the Acadia First Nations. Chief Labrador had never built a canoe but had learned through stories passed down and watching his grandfather and master builder, Joe Jeremy Labrador [9]. Joe Jeremy Labrador is known for his mast hoops that were used by the Bluenose when it went on its 17-year undefeated streak [8]. Todd Labrador’s great grandfather, Joe Jeremy Labrador, was never able to build a birchbark canoe with great grandson, but Todd took these stories and began working with materials through trial and error: “It took a long time to gather the information and learn the skill because it’s difficult to learn how to bend a piece of wood from a book…it’s something you have to learn yourself and the material will teach you because if you’re not using that material with respect, it’ll break” [9].
Todd Labrador spends his summers working in Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site building birchbark canoes. He has begun working with apprentices to share his teachings and help them learn the craft. He also runs workshops for tourists to learn the craft of building a birchbark canoe. Todd Labrador shares stories while he is running these workshops. He hopes he can pass along and preserve the knowledge and world-view of his Mi’kma’ki ancestors: “When I build a birchbark canoe,” Labrador says, “there’s a lot of ancestors around me and spirits smiling. I’m sure today my great grandfather would be smiling, knowing that his legacy is being captured” [8]
To learn more about National Indigenous Peoples Day or Indigenous Peoples
To learn more about National Indigenous Peoples Day, there are sites that you can access through the internet and museums you can visit. You may also contact your local Indigenous Community Group or agency to ask if they have any resources or activities you can access to learn more about this day or about the Indigenous Peoples, their cultures and heritages.
Where to locate a local National Indigenous Peoples Day ceremony
Many communities host a National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration. To find one near you search online or consult the following website: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013718/1534874583157.
In Ottawa the National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration is hosted during the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival. For further information please go to the following website: https://summersolsticefestivals.ca/.
References
Government of Canada; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada; (2022, June 2). About National Indigenous Peoples Day. Government of Canada; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada; https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013718/1534874583157
opsba. (2018, June 7). Celebrating National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day. OPSBA. https://www.opsba.org/celebrating-national-indigenous-history-month-and-national-indigenous-peoples-day-june-07-2018/
National Indigenous Peoples Day. (n.d.). Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://www.lawsociety.sk.ca/lss-events/national-indigenous-peoples-day/
Canadian Innovation News. (2017). https://researchmoneyinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/CIN_MOBILE_July2017.pdf
Government of Canada; Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. (2011, April 14). Did you know? Www.rcaanc-Cirnac.gc.ca. https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1302807151028/1534952294430
11 Inventions to Celebrate - Canada’s History. (2020). Canadashistory.ca. https://www.canadashistory.ca/explore/science-technology/11-inventions-to-celebrate
The Canoe: A symbol of resilience, resurgence, and nationhood for Indigenous peoples. (2021, June 26). NWTRPA. https://www.nwtrpa.org/post/canoe-a-symbol-of-resilience-resurgence-and-nationhood
McMillan, E. (2018, July 21). Mi’kmaq teens spend summer building birchbark canoe. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/kejimkujik-national-park-todd-labrador-canoe-building-1.4739638
The Art and Spirit of the Bark Canoe. (n.d.). The Green Interview. https://thegreeninterview.com/interview/labrador-todd/
What National Indigenous Peoples Day means to Indigenous leaders in the northeast. (2002, June 21). CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/national-indigenous-peoples-day-northeast-ontario-1.6495828