While this year’s National Indigenous Day celebration on June 21 featured the usual mix of dancing, music, and general spectacle, local Thompson dignitaries also took the time to highlight some of the bigger issues at play.
Wednesday’s festivities officially kicked off during the opening ceremonies at MacLean Park, where elder Jack Robinson offered up a prayer that touched on a number of serious issues that continue to affect the aboriginal community.
“Bless all our people that are out on the street, the homeless, the people that are lost because of addictions,” he said. “We pray, oh creator, that you give them the strength and give them the guidance so that they find the right path.”
By 2 p.m. MacLean Park was packed full of spectators not just from Thompson, but from surrounding indigenous communities as well. The event organizers treated this crowd to a variety of attractions, including a traditional pow-wow, a talent show, and a local drumming circle performance.
The organizers even took the time to hand out this year’s Soaring Eagle awards, which recognize Indigenous citizens who have proven to be an integral part of the local community.
However, before any of that could take place, local MLA Kelly Bindle highlighted the importance of this year’s celebration from a governmental perspective.
“It was one year ago today that our new provincial government signed on to the Thompson Aboriginal Accord, and I’m happy to say that we are reaffirming our commitment to that accord,” he said. “We’re committed to education, consultation, accommodation, and inclusion.”
The Thompson Aboriginal Accord was created on June 21, 2009. It serves as a living document that recognizes the role of aboriginal people in the city’s history and reinforces the signatories’ commitment to working closely with aboriginal groups.
Even though this is a municipal document, Mayor Dennis Fenske pointed out that the influence of this accord is already being felt across the province.
“Our accord has been used as a model for the one that was most recently signed yesterday in the city of Winnipeg,” he said at Wednesday’s opening ceremonies. “So I want to congratulate all those that came before me in the formation of the accord and all the hard work that was done.”
In his closing remarks, Robinson said that people simply coming together for a celebration like National Indigenous Day can help start the healing process.
“We have suffered for several hundred years, but now we are getting stronger every day because of gatherings like this.”
