Downtown Regina echoed with music, as more than 1,000 people participated in National Indigenous Peoples Day on Thursday.
“Today is a day where we can stand up,” said Cadmus Delorme, Chief of Cowessess First Nation. "It’s a day for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to come together and understand the unique relationship that we all have in sharing this land.”
The festivities centred on a celebration in Victoria Park, which saw various types of dancing, cultural demonstrations and food, all free to the public.
National Indigenous Peoples Day was declared back in 1996, as a day to recognize the contributions of Canada’s Indigenous people.
“It’s the music, the language, the people, everything,” said Regina Mayor Michael Fougere. “We acknowledge this as an important day for our culture in Canada.”
There was one interruption during the event’s opening ceremonies, when a group protestors from the, now dismantled Justice for Our Stolen Children camp came to challenge a speech made by police Chief Evan Bray.
The protest was peaceful, with Bray and Fougere taking time to speak with the protests after the ceremony.
“It definitely felt weird to celebrate so soon after police took their tipi down and pretend like everything was okay,” said Erin Goodpipe, the host of the celebration. “But we still want to celebrate our culture and to recognize the resilience and survival of Indigenous people — and that’s what we did today.”
The rest of the event went off without a hitch. The day concluded with a round dance and a closing prayer. Event coordinators are calling the event a success.
“Our job was to get out there and connect our culture with the community,” explained Nick Crighton, one of the event coordinators. “We were always taught to share our culture, so let’s take that opportunity now.”
