Regina marks National Indigenous Peoples Day with celebrations in the park

Hundreds of people gathered in Victoria Park to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Festivities kicked off with a grand entry from the Cenotaph down to the stage at Pat Fiacco Plaza.

“As an Indigenous mother, educator and leader, I celebrate June 21 365 days a year,” Wendy Gervais, a representative from Metis Nation Saskatchewan, told the crowd during her opening remarks.

The cheerful dancing was followed by a moment of silence and honour song to pay tribute to all the children who did not make if home from residential schools as well as all survivors.

“As of March 2023, 10,028 unmarked graves have been identified across Turtle Island,” event speaker Zoey Roy told the crowd.

June 21 is a day to recognize, celebrate and learn about the diverse history, culture and accomplishments of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people. For many others, it is also a time to heal through song and dance.

“It gives us back a sense of identity and it gives us back our sense of self-worth just to be proud of who we are,” said Phyllis Littletent who is a part of the Kawacatoose Boys and Dancers.

The troupe has dancers as young as five and as old as 73, according to Littletent.

“Our young people in our group represent the ones that never made it home,” she said.

Powwow dancers, Inuit throat singers, and Metis fiddlers and jiggers were all part of the performances at the stage.

Metis jigger Amy Seesequasis believes it is important to showcase all Indigenous cultures and for non-Indigenous people to learn about the diverse peoples.

“But also make connections to others in terms of similarities like when we gather we share dance, we share food and I think that’s a commonality amongst all cultures,” Seesequasis said.

Hundreds more attended the first ever powwow held at the Newo-Yotina Friendship Centre in Regina.

Executive Director Teresa Innis hopes this is the first of many powwows the organization hosts.

“Grass roots of the friendship centre were to be a place for urban Indigenous people to come and find community, to find support (and) to find social activities,” Innis said.

“We just want to be going back to our grass roots.”

ONE STEP ON THE PATH TO RECONCILIATION

Prior to the day’s events beginning in Victoria Park, the Regina Downtown Business Improvement District officially unveiled its Scarth Street mural: Path to Reconciliation.

Geanna Dunbar worked with artist Brandy Jones, RDBID, Creative City Centre and community members and elders to install the piece.

It took about six months of planning and a couple weeks to execute the job.

“It felt like all that hard work was definitely worth it,” Dunbar said.

From above, the painted path looks like a string of beads, beginning at the bison statue at Scarth Street mall and ending at a painted white buffalo. Dunbar believes it is one of the longest murals in the province.

“It’s not just another piece of art to deflect on the real issues that we have here. It’s not just you painted a bead and we’re reconciled,” Dunbar said.

“It’s a piece for Indigenous folks as well when they see it they know that that’s their heritage. They know that we’re out here [and] we’re taking up space.”

Dunbar said the mural is just a “stepping stone” for what is to come for other reconciliation efforts.