National Indigenous Peoples Day: 2 events to celebrate and mourn on Monday, June 21
This year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day, which falls on Monday, will include a vigil for the 215 children whose bodies were recently identified as buried in unmarked graves at the Kamloops residential school site.
Those who organized the kids’ shoe memorial at the Vancouver Art Gallery are asking people from coast to coast to mourn and remember the children at 7 p.m. Kamloops time.
“Everyone mourning the discovery of the 215 children at residential schools, raise your voices, your drums .... let them hear us,” reads the event description.
Those in Vancouver, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike, are also being invited to come to the steps outside of the gallery, where the existing shoe memorial is located.
“Now more than ever non-Indigenous persons are called to hold space and centre Indigenous peoples and their experiences,” reads the event description.
The event is being promoted on Facebook by those associated with the existing shoe memorial, including Haida artist Tamara Bell. Bell is the person who first conceived of the idea of placing 215 pairs of kids shoes on the gallery’s steps back in May, when the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation announced they’d found the bodies. Since then, it has become an important space for meeting, healing and learning about residential schools.
“Wear orange and bring your drums,” reads the event description, making reference to First Nations drummers.
Earlier in the day on Monday, the Carnegie Community Centre and UBC are hosting a free online cultural event in celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day, and it’s also open to everyone.
The event, which will feature live streamed and pre-recorded performances and artist talks, runs from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. It will kick off with a welcome from Squamish Chief Bill Williams, and include performances by the Carnegie’s lexwst’i:lem drum group and by dancer Larissa Healey, and more.
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.