Monday 21 June 2021

National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada – June 21

June 21st is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. Canadians are making progress. We truly are.  My morning TV news show was chock full of interviews of successful, highly accomplished First Nations, Inuit, and Metis movers and shakers, business owner entrepreneurs. I am taping the Indspire Awards on Tuesday, where they honour those who have made a mark. 

Some mayors are trading in Canada Day celebrations for a day of reflection. I'm for that. When someone in your family is facing a funeral, you don't carry on as if life is normal.

In the meantime, there are many white settlers still claiming that our founding fathers weren't all bad. We know better. Not that Canada was any worse than the US, or any other colonial settlers, but we must come forward. Like this: A convoy of trucks rolled through Ottawa to Parliament Hill as a 'Convoy of Reconciliation.' 

Cindy Blackstock – an amazing Indigenous leader.

"Please learn from history, so we don't repeat the mistakes Speak up when you hear wrongdoing, and keep speaking up until someone listens. "

We've about 70 Indigenous Languages, being revived, especially during the pandemic as people have the time and the technology to do virtual learning. 


Lest you think Canada is the only country that did this, the United States had American Indian Boarding Schools5 Meriam Report of 1928, also UK colonies did this. 

What can Canadians do?

  • Honour the unceded lands on which we live,
  • Go to a Pow Wow,
  • Read. Anything. History or biographies, fiction or non. 
  • Watch videos (see below), 
  • Listen. Just. Listen.


     From Maureen Bostock, a mover and shaker here in my region:

Celebrate Summer Solstice 2021 with Omàmiwininì Pimàdjwowin

As a way to give back, I encourage all non-Indigenous people living on unceded Algonquin territory to make a donation  to Omamiwinini Pimadjiwowin - a charitable organization which works to revitalize Algonquin language and culture at Pikwakanagan.  

Such deep, rich cultures, with strong values, and traditions. Respect for the land and one another.

10 comments:

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

That's great to be reading about this. Much needs to be done and white people acting defensive about it isn't going to help anything. And of course here in the USA we have a huge reckoning coming with the history of black people. In Oklahoma we have a compound thing because when the Native Americans were expelled from the southeast USA, the ones who had slaves brought them with them, still as slaves. When the US took the land away from the tribes and assigned it to the tribes, the former slaves got shares of land as well. And that is just one reason that Black Wall Street emerged, and of course that got destroyed.

RedPat said...

You must be feeling better since you have done 2 posts today! This is an important one.

Tom said...

...it's good to hear that Canadians are making progress, I'm not sure that we are.

Anvilcloud said...

We lived near a reserve but I am sorry to say that I never attended a pow wow. I don't think they did a big one though. For two summers I helped out with their girls softball team on which my daughter played. She then did a degree in native studies or at least partially in native studies.

Cloudia said...

Well done!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a lovely post ..I am happy to hear all that Canada is doing … it usually seems like you are ahead of us in these matters.

Joe Todd said...

Well done. Progress usually 2 steps forward then one back, Keep up th good work.

Olga said...

We need to keep making progress in valuing and treating all people as part of the world's family.

Jeanie said...

I love Canada and Canadians. Even if they never made MORE progress (all of which is good) you would be far ahead of your neighbors to the south in the US.

William Kendall said...

I have attended one pow wow.