Editor, The Times:
Here in Clearwater, Aboriginal Engagement Success By 6 and North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Centre are excited to host National Aboriginal Day on Sunday June 19.
Festivities will start at Dutch Lake Community Centre at 11 a.m. and will go until 5 p.m. The welcome ceremony will be at 12 noon.
There will be activities all day long – displays, crafts, music, fun for the family, food, local community vendors selling crafts, and much more. Everyone is invited. This family event is open to everyone in the North Thompson Valley and we encourage families to come and have fun while, sharing in the Aboriginal culture.
We will be honored to have Keith Henry, chair/chief executive officer at Aboriginal Tourism Association of Canada, along with Rowan and Quinn, Métis dancers from Surrey, Sherry Daniels with the BC Métis Federation, Tipi Treats (yes there will be bannock), Roxanne from Responsible Gaming, Mischief Métis Museum, Derrick Whiteskycloud, and Aboriginal Engagement Success By 6 with kids activities and crafts.
There will be a special draw for Dads only.
So bring your lawn chair or blanket and come enjoy the day.
National Aboriginal Day takes place on June 21, giving indigenous people and Canadians alike a chance to celebrate the culture and heritage of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people across the country.
The day coincides with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.
"National Aboriginal Day is a day to remember our past leaders — their hard work and their legacy for self-determination left to us to carry on,” Harry Nice Jr. of the Gitwinksihlkw Nisga'a village government said in a statement.
The day was established after the National Indian Brotherhood, a precursor to the Assembly of First Nations (AFN), mounted a campaign to have the date recognized as National Aboriginal Solidarity Day in 1982.
June 21 was officially declared National Aboriginal Day by Governor-General Romeo LeBlanc in 1996.
National Aboriginal Day on June 21 kick starts Celebrate Canada – an 11-day celebration that also includes Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day (June 24), Canadian Multiculturalism Day (June 27) and concludes with Canada Day (July 1)!
We invite participants to set up a booth and join in the festivities. For more information call the Centre at 250-674-3703 or email me at cindy.wilgosh@gmail.com.
Looking forward to seeing all of you at National Aboriginal Day!
Cindy Wilgosh
North Thompson Aboriginal Cultural Centre