While society has made strides when it comes to the understanding of Indigenous culture, organizers of a special celebration encouraged people to always continue to learn.
Maawnjidimi Indigenous Network presented activities and demonstrations to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21, during an event at Chatham’s Ska:na Family Learning Centre.
Visitors could enjoy singing, drumming, dancing and food, such as corn soup and frybread, while checking out many booths and vendors. Several community groups and municipal departments were also on hand, with many books and other literature available.
Naomi Wilson, Ska:na’s program director, was pleased with how the day turned out.
“There’s fantastic community support. They all came together,” she said. “National Indigenous Peoples Day is a celebration. It’s not Orange Shirt Day, it’s not Truth and Reconciliation Day. It’s a celebration of contributions of Indigenous people in Canada.”
In recent years, Wilson said there has “absolutely” been more public effort to understand Indigenous people’s history and what they have gone through.
“It takes a lot of education, sharing of information, updated information,” she said.
Maawnjidimi Indigenous Network began in 2021, evolving directly from the Indigenous Social Planning and Action Table formed at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 to promote truth and reconciliation, learning and growing.
National Aboriginal Day, now National Indigenous Peoples Day, started in 1996 to celebrate the history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people across Canada.
Many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture on or about June 21, due to the significance of the summer solstice.
United Way of Chatham-Kent was happy to be involved in the day and provide resources, said chief executive Barb Palace, adding there are many steps people can take to learn more.
“It’s more than land acknowledgment. It’s around learning and understanding, and truly participating in culture,” she said. “Enjoy the perspectives and the traditions, and the knowledge that’s being shared.”