National Indigenous Peoples Day
The City of Medicine Hat honours National Indigenous Peoples Day
National Indigenous Peoples Day is recognized annually on June 21 within National Indigenous History Month. This aligns with the significance of the summer solstice for Indigenous peoples, who have celebrated their cultures on the longest day of the year for centuries.
The City of Medicine Hat honours National Indigenous Peoples Day, a day to honour the rich history and traditions, diverse cultures and important contributions of Indigenous peoples in our community.
Events
Join us at City Hall in the Helen Beny Lounge the afternoon of June 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. to participate in a smudging Ceremony in the Blackfoot Tradition with Brenda Mercer, receive stories from Brenda, and hear from City of Medicine Hat Mayor Linnsie Clark about how the City is working to celebrate Indigeneity.
Story sharing
June 21 is recognized in Canada as National Indigenous Peoples Day. For centuries, Indigenous Peoples have celebrated the summer solstice on June 21, the reawakening of everything beautiful in nature. No better day, then, to celebrate the beauty of Indigenous culture than the day with the longest light.
As a celebration of Indigenous cultural heritages, the City of Medicine Hat is celebrating Indigeneity (in-dij-uh-NEE-uh-tee) this month with several events. One such event, the Celebrating Indigeneity Block Party in Towne Square on June 22, is an effort to move from reconciliation to reconcili-action.
Three Indigenous leaders from our community will be at the event, graciously sharing their traditions and customs. Learn more about them here.
City projects and initiatives
The City of Medicine Hat, the Miywasin Friendship Centre, and the University of Alberta are actively working together to rebury the remains and associated burial artifacts of three ancestors held in public trust at the University of Alberta. These three institutions have come together to form the Medicine Hat Ancestors Reburial Project and all partners are committed to the reburial of these ancestors in a respectful manner in their original resting place of Medicine Hat.
The City of Medicine Hat acknowledges that we live and work on treaty territory. The City pays respect to all Indigenous Peoples and honours their past, present and future. We recognize and respect their cultural heritages and relationships to the land. The City of Medicine Hat celebrates the strengths and resilience of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit cultures and acknowledges the vibrant tapestry of Indigenous history that enriches our community.
Indigenous Arts & Culture
