June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day, an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the culture and contributions of First Nations people. This year, local festivities will take place at Tla’amin Nation.
“It’s been held at Willingdon Beach for at least 20 years,” said Tla’amin cultural activities and information coordinator Drew Blaney.“This is the first time in a very long time that we’re going to be hosting it here right in our community.”
In the morning, students from School District 47 will be doing cultural tours at Government House, and starting at 11:30 am the greater community is invited to join.
“It’s open to the public; all of Powell River is welcome to come and attend these events,” said Blaney. “It’s going to be spread out between Government House and the beach in front of the church.”
Different booths will be set up at Government House and people will be able to take tours of the building as well as look at cultural artifacts and language projects, said Blaney.
“Down at the beach we’re going to have canoe rides, a traditional salmon barbecue, and a little bit of entertainment,” he added. “We have drummers and singers and we’re also going to have a Métis dancer coming up to join us.”
Artwork will also be on display and there will be a few vendors with items for sale. Other activities include games for children, weaving and carving stations, a display of dugout canoes, a traditional plants and medicines talk, and a bannock competition.
“That’s going to be fun, to see who can make the best bannock,” said Blaney. “We’ll be handing out an official certificate and gift card for whoever wins that competition.”
The annual event coincides with the summer solstice, however, First Nations people used a different calendar system, according to Blaney.
“Traditionally, we had our 13 moons system,” he added. “Our calendar was based around the moons and not the specific dates.”
Blaney said he would like to see gatherings such as this happen more often.
“It’s important for us to get out and celebrate who we are as a people; we should be doing it more than just once a year,” he added. “It’s about giving our people a sense of pride, letting them learn about their history and just being together to share a meal together. It’s beautiful when our people do this.”
