This is your guide to celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21

June 19, 2020

This is your guide to celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21

June 19, 2020

On June 21, it’s National Indigenous Peoples Day – a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Indigenous peoples of Canada. On this day, relationships are about listening, learning and connecting to the Indigenous culture and peoples of Canada.

The pandemic means we’re going to have to celebrate a little differently this year. We have put together a list of places to visit, such as public art pieces, installations and sculptures, restaurants, music and arts, virtual events, movies and documentaries, as well as books and literature.

Places to visit

Having trouble viewing the map? Check it out on Tableau here.

Food

Mr. Bannock
mrbannock.com | @mrbannockfood

The first Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, owned and operated by chef and Squamish First Nation member Paul Natrall, offers Indigenous-fusion cuisine, using traditional ingredients from the Squamish First Nation such as juniper berries, smoked wild salmon and meats and uses traditional methods, such as clay and stone baking.

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Salmon and Bannock Bistro
salmonandbannock.net

This Vancouver restaurant, owned by Nuxalk Nation member Inez Cook, proudly showcases Indigenous food heritage and featuring salmon, wild boar, and bannock. The bistro has continued to operate through COVID-19, offering food for pick up or delivery.

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Music and Arts

Free virtual museums with Indigenous art and culture exhibitions

Museum of Anthropology at UBC – You can visit this museum virtually in a number of ways: explore their vast collections through the online photo database http://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/explore/cultures; tour the museum’s Great Hall (this a few minutes to download) http://www2.moa.ubc.ca/shakeupkiosk/; and watch performances, interviews and webinars on the MOA youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MUSEUMofANTHROPOLOGY
Sturgeon Harpoon Knowledge Web – This online exhibit from the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC is a collaboration with the Musqueam First Nation and explores the complex network of knowledge around the making of a sturgeon harpoon. https://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~biodiv/web/
Audain Art Museum – The museum’s permanent collection of 200 works includes one of the world’s finest collections of Northwest Coast First Nations masks, as well as works by contemporary Indigenous artists such as Marianne Nicolson and Dana Claxton. You can explore the collection through the online image database http://audainartmuseum.com/collection/#/ or join curator Curtis Collins’ “flashlight tours” of the closed when it was closed due to COVID-19 on the gallery’s social media channels: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Hanging Out –Indigenous youth a number of different First Nation open the doors of their community and share their contemporary reality. With 360-degree video technology viewers are immersed in the places that are important to them, and learn about their traditions and cultures: http://lieuxderencontres.ca/en/home.html
Iningat Ilagiit (a place for family) – Inuit artists from Kinngait (Cape Dorset) have created thousands of drawings. Almost 4,000 of these drawings and 250 photographs can be viewed online. It is also a space for Inuit and Northern communities to connect with their own art and contribute to the important work of sharing Kinngait history and culture. https://iningatilagiit.ca/explorez_et_collectionnez-search_and_collect-eng/

Canadian Indigenous Musicians:

A Tribe Called Red straddles a broad range of musical influences based in modern hip-hop, traditional pow wow drums and vocals. http://atribecalledred.com/music/
Buffy Sainte-Marie This well-known American-Canadian singer-songwriter released Medicine Songs, her most recent album in 2017. The themes of unity and resistance feel very timely. http://buffysainte-marie.com/
Tanya Tagaq is a survivor of Canada’s Residential School System and now uses the power of her voice to bring awareness to issues affecting her community. http://tanyatagaq.com/about/
Northern Cree This pow wow drum group has been nominated for multiple Grammys and recently performed on NBC’s “World of Dance”. https://www.facebook.com/officialnortherncree/
Iskwe This indigenous singer-songwriter blends her Cree, Dené and Irish heritage for a unique experience for the audience. https://iskwe.com/home/
William Prince His debut album won the Juno Award for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year in 2017, and he just recently released his sophomore album Reliever. https://www.williamprincemusic.com/about
More: https://indigenoustourism.ca/en/indigenous-music-musicians/

Local artists

Dylan Rysstad is a Métis performer born and raised in Prince Rupert, BC, who has gone on to release over 20 albums as a solo performer and with other acts. http://www.dylanrysstad.com/bio.html
Wolf and the Raven is Vancouver-based folk duet comprised of Candace Curr (Nuu Chah Nulth) and Clayton Charleyboy (Tsilhqot’in) https://www.wolfandtheravenmusic.com/
JB the First Lady is a Vancouver-based hip hop and spoken word artist, beat-boxer, cultural dancer and youth educator. https://www.jbthefirstlady.ca/

Virtual events

List of free virtual Indigenous events for NIPD 2020 in Canada:

Click on this link for a family-friendly activity guide you can do with your children to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day: https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/DAM/DAM-CIRNAC-RCAANC/DAM-PPLCOM/STAGING/texte-text/nIPD_activity_guide_2018_1528380426091_eng.pdf

Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival

Live-stream the virtual edition of the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival with events every day from June 1 to 21. https://summersolsticefestivals.ca/

PowWows

PowWows are joyous and beautiful expressions of culture meant to uplift people after the winter. This year PowWows have gone online so you can still enjoy the dances and the regalia: https://www.youtube.com/user/PowWowsCom/videos
The Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (KDCC), in partnership with the Yukon First Nation Culture and Tourism Association (YFNCT) will be hosting a Virtual Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June 21 on their social media channels: https://www.facebook.com/yfnct
The St. John’s Native Friendship Centre has events the week leading up to NIPD and on the day of from 9 AM EST to 2:30 PM EST: https://www.facebook.com/pg/FirstLightNL/posts/
Canada’s First Nations Radio Network (CFNR) will be hosting a live video stream on June 21st: https://www.cfnrfm.ca/nipd/#/gallery

This is your guide to celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21