Communities around the Maritimes celebrated the 20th anniversary of National Aboriginal Day Tuesday.
National Aboriginal Day is held every year on June 21 to coincide with the summer solstice, a day that holds cultural significance in many aboriginal cultures. Many Aboriginal Canadians mark the day by inviting members of the public to share in their culture.
“You can see the people here, they can see this is what we're about, and they can see our native culture is alive and well, because a lot of times you don't see it,” says Donna Augustine, a Mi'kmaq elder who is also known by her traditional name Thunderbird Turtle Woman.
In addition to educating the public, members of the First Nations community say it is important to ensure their children are well versed in their heritage.
“The children are what's most important because you know, they are our future leaders of tomorrow and definitely we can learn a lot from them still today even as adults. We still consider them as our teachers in many ways,” says Garrett Gloade, with the Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Centre.
Amherst, N.S. hosted the largest Maritime National Aboriginal Day celebration in a non-indigenous community – the first time it’s been hosted in the town.
Children at the Amherst event were taught about the strong roots of First Nations groups in the area.
“Archeologists have found the oldest aboriginal community in the country in Debert, it's 11 to 12,000 years old,” says Bill Casey, Cumberland-Colchester MP.
Kendra Paul and her brother Trenton took part in the town’s celebration. The pair has been dancing since they could walk and soon they'll take part in one of the country's largest pow wows in British Columbia.
“It’s sort of a spiritual thing that I love to do, it makes me feel wonderful after,” says Kendra Paul. “They're surprised and they're amazed and it makes you feel good. It amazes them what children can do.”
Song and dance go hand and hand with aboriginal culture.
“The drum itself represents the heartbeat of Mother Earth and when those boys sing and when they sit around that drum, they're all considered equals, no one is better than one another, and that's an opportunity for them to actually grow,” says Gloade.
Gloade says the dancers always move in a circle, which represents the circle of life.
“When I see the little ones dancing in the regalia, it's just overwhelming that they have the teachings at so young, when you see the women in the jingle dress, it takes sometimes a year to prepare their regalia,” says De-Anne Sack, a vendor at the event.
Rebecca Thomas is Halifax's Poet Laureate and the coordinator of aboriginal student services at the Nova Scotia Community College.
Thomas presented a spoken word poem during celebrations at Millbrook First Nation, just outside of Truro, N.S.
“There is so much to an indigenous history that even I'm painfully ignorant of,” says Thomas. “I spent the last few weeks learning about treaty, about the different treaties that we signed with the British, you know, through the 1700s and onward, that impact how we operate day-to-day.”
National Aboriginal Day celebrates Canada's First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities, and honours their history.
“Inform yourself of all the things we've done in our lives, and you'll be amazed by what you learn from aboriginal people,” says Chris Wysote, Listuguj councillor.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Suzette Belliveau and Cami Kepke
