How to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day in Halifax
Tuesday is National Indigenous Peoples Day, which recognizes the contributions and celebrates the cultures of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people throughout Canada. To mark the day, there are events happening around Halifax.
One event, the Mawita’jik Competition Pow Wow, happened in Dartmouth, N.S., over the weekend. Cheryl Gehue, the Indigenous community advisor for the Halifax Regional Municipality, says it’s one of the largest competitive pow wows east of Montreal.
“We had thousands of people coming in to watch our amazing, talented drummers and dancers perform and compete this weekend. It was absolutely the most heat-warming thing you could see all weekend,” says Gehue. “As many people were saying, it just made our heart smile. It was just so wonderful to hear the drums again and see our dancers and showcase the beautiful resilient culture that we have.”
National Indigenous Peoples Day will be marked at events throughout Halifax Tuesday, including DeWolf Park in Bedford at 4 p.m.
“We have some activities for children, so they can come and make a teepee and we’ll give them a teaching about erecting a teepee, and you could also come and talk with an Elder in one. We also have some Lusknikn, some Mi’kmaq bread, for people to try.”
Another Indigenous Peoples Day event will take place Tuesday evening at the Grand Oasis stage outside Halifax City Hall, with musical entertainment.
DJ Shub, who recently won the 2022 JUNO award for Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year, will perform. Boogát and the Iron Tide dancers from Millbrook First Nation will open the event, which starts at 7 p.m.
“It’s quite an exciting evening showcasing Indigenous artists, dancers and performers and crafts throughout the city,” says Gehue.
Gehue says, after unmarked graves were found at former residential school sites last year, Halifax decided that Canada Day celebrations shouldn’t be cancelled next week, but instead refocused events to reflect the Indigenous community.
“Within Halifax this year, we’re going to be hosting a Mawio'mi that will be open to the public to come in. We have drummers and dancers and singers and performers coming to perform. We will be giving away free samples of Indian tacos to try out. You’ll get to see and learn different dance styles, you’ll get to hear Inuit drummers and dancers perform.”
The Canada Day event at the Halifax Commons includes performances by DeeDee Austin and the Blue Marshall band. The Kana’ta 2022 Main Event Concert at Grand Parade happening later in the day will feature performances by Drives The Common Man, Neon Dreams and Crown Lands, ahead of a fireworks finale.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for everybody to come out and see our culture, share our culture, taste our food and learn more about it,” says Gehue.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.