National Indigenous Peoples Day 2019
Posted on Jun 14, 2019
This month, our Catholic schools are celebrating the heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding achievements of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. Medicine Hat Catholic Schools are proud to acknowledge and celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.
This statement was presented at every school this morning in accordance with morning prayer:
"Before we begin, the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education would like to acknowledge that we are gathering on the traditional land of the Blackfoot people who have welcomed here for centuries the Cree, the Métis, other First Nations and non-indigenous people. The land is now recognized as the traditional territory of Treaty 7 to the north, west and south and Treaty 4 to the east. The Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education also wishes to thank the First Nations people, past and present, for welcoming us here."
What is National Indigenous Peoples Day?
June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. This is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Canadian Constitution recognizes these three groups as Aboriginal peoples, also known as Indigenous peoples.
Although these groups share many similarities, they each have their own distinct heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs.
In cooperation with Indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada chose June 21, the summer solstice, for National Aboriginal Day, now known as National Indigenous Peoples Day. For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day due to the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.
What led to the creation of National Aboriginal Day?
National Aboriginal Day was announced in 1996 by then Governor General of Canada, Roméo LeBlanc, through the Proclamation Declaring June 21 of Each Year as National Aboriginal Day. This was the result of consultations and statements of support for such a day made by various Indigenous groups:
- in 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of National Aboriginal Solidarity Day
- in 1995, the Sacred Assembly, a national conference of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people chaired by Elijah Harper, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous Peoples
- also in 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended the designation of a National First Peoples Day
On June 21, 2017, the Prime Minister issued a statement announcing the intention to rename this day National Indigenous Peoples Day.