How communities are celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day

June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada. It’s a day to celebrate the culture and history of Indigenous groups and communities.

Many events took place across Ontario on Wednesday. Around 200 people gathered in front of Hamilton City Hall to honour and learn about the Indigenous community through stories and music.

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Travis Hill, Indigenous Heritage and Culture at the City of Hamilton said, “We always encourage non-Indigenous people and everybody of diverse backgrounds to come out and show up for the social events that we have for the entire month, not just today.”

Manager of Indigenous Relations at the City of Hamilton, Shelly Hill says the day is all about showing pride, resilience and how far Indigenous people have come. “…Considering there was a time when they were trying to do away with us as Indigenous people altogether by putting us into residential schools, and all the challenges around that…”

The City of Burlington held an event Wednesday evening at Spencer Smith Park which included traditional drumming, music, dance, and ceremonial tributes.

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