June 21 is National Indigenous Day in Canada. It was first celebrated in 1996the day — which falls on the summer solstice — is intended to recognize and honor the cultures of the First Nations, the Inuit, and the Métis. Unconditional asked some of the show’s friends – Indigenous people who celebrate on their own – what National Indigenous Day means to them and how to make the most of their day.
Joy after a difficult year
The West Coast culture of award-winning author Eden Robinson is “extremely social.” But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she has inflated with her family. It’s been a long time since many in her community have all come together. “I look forward to the first time we break bread together,” Robinson said. Robinson, who is Haisla and Heiltsuk, often spends Native National Day in George Little Park in Terrace, BC, listening to music and enjoying barbecue treats. “There will be amazing food there. Some of them will be traditional, others will be adopted, but everything will be fine.” Award-winning author Eden Robinson is Haisla and Heiltsuk. Son of a Trickster novel was nominated for the Scotiabank Giller Award 2017. (Red Works Photography / Penguin Random House Canada) The last two years have been difficult, the author said. “Not only with COVID, but I am thinking especially of the 215 children who were at the Kamloops Residential School in India.” Findings in May 2021 at the site of a former residential school in British Columbia showed 215 possible burial sites. Since then, similar discoveries have been made in a number of school housing across the country. “When people talk about us or when they talk to us, these are the stories they bring to light. They tell of our deepest grief and trauma. So what I like about Indigenous Day is that people celebrate our cultures, they celebrate our cultures. our communities, “Robinson said. “We ourselves celebrate the things that bring us joy, and usually this is our heritage,” he continued. “I know last year was extremely difficult and no one felt like celebrating, but we have an infinite capacity for joy.”
Healing through laughter
Anishinaabe social media influencer Sherry Mckay of Sagkeeng First Nation in Manitoba said she was creating her online content – which has gained more than 500,000 followers on the online video service TikTok – to celebrate being indigenous. In her eyes, it serves the same main purpose as the National Day of the Indigenous Peoples — the celebration. Anishinaabe’s social media influence, Sherry Mckay, has been invited to lead the APTN Indigenous Day 2022 live event in Winnipeg. (Submitted by Sherry Mckay) “When I think of Indigenous Peoples’ National Day, I think of celebration. I think of laughter. I think of family,” McKay said. “I think of the gatherings and pieces that were missing for decades, before the celebration of our language and culture and our ceremonies, and I remember our relatives and ancestors who could not celebrate these things.” The star of TikTok brings awareness of indigenous issues with comedy, because, as she says, laughter brings healing together. “I do not know if it is the laughter itself or if it is, you know, the laughter we do with our loved ones. These laughs of the great aunt and these laughs of the great uncle are very healing.” McKay honored Indigenous People’s National Day as an official at the big APTN live event on Saturday at The Forks in Winnipeg. She says it is one of the biggest awards she has ever received and proves to her that her content and comedy touch a lot of people. “I know [my work] reaches a lot of youth. And that’s incredibly important to me. “
Opportunity for learning
As the cultural custodian of the Innu Nation in Labrador, Jodie Ashini works to preserve and promote her culture. When asked about the National Day of the Indigenous Peoples, she thinks of her daughter, who is six years old and, with darker skin, is obviously a native. “I was a pale native, so I hardly fit either side. I was either redheaded or white, so [spent] “I spend a lot of time trying to fit in, trying to figure out who I was growing up with,” Ashini said. “But I’m very afraid that my little girl will have to suffer the pain of a heart that does not fit just because of who you are.” Jodie Ashini’s important work in preserving the Innu culture includes repatriating the Innu Nation’s material and contributing to government policy. (Submitted by Jodie Ashini) How colonization affected and still affects Innu is a story many people do not know, Ashini said. That’s why June 21st is a perfect opportunity for non-Native Canadians to learn about Indigenous peoples and their cultures – and to take steps towards equality. “It’s so important to us. This is a day to feel recognized in a country where you feel so few, where we still have to fight for our rights and freedoms,” he said. “Go talk to someone you know is indigenous, [and] “You can learn a lot,” Ashini added. “Learn an oral history, learn a recipe and learn about their great-great-grandparents.” And hopefully, if this learning continues, she says, one day her daughter will fit in wherever she goes. “I hope we can have it [that] equality, when our cultures and peoples are recognized and we do not need to feel different. We do not need to feel the injustices. “
