Latest news with #LottieJohnson
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Sunrise ceremonies, cultural festivals, and community events across Canada mark the celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day
Why is National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated? Live Events Prime Minister Mark Carney's statement Celebration across the country (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Songs and drumbeats echoed along the shoreline as the sun rose over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday morning(June 22). About 40 people gathered near Louisbourg to take part in a Mi'kmaw sunrise ceremony, led by residential school survivor and Eskasoni First Nation Elder Lottie Johnson, marking the beginning of National Indigenous Peoples Day across Canada.'It's a very special time. It's quiet, and as the sun comes up, you see the creation of the creator,' Johnson said. 'Everything is so beautiful, and it's like almost-new again. That's where you get the hope and the will to go on.'The day, celebrated annually on June 21, the summer solstice, honors the history, cultures, and achievements of First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. First recognized in 1996, the national event now includes hundreds of community-led gatherings and Indigenous Peoples Day was first proclaimed by the former Governor General, Roméo LeBlanc, in 1996. It is a statutory holiday in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, and is increasingly recognized as a vital part of Canada's broader journey toward truth and reconciliation Prime Minister Mark Carney issued a statement reaffirming the federal government's commitment to reconciliation as he said, 'Supporting Indigenous communities, advancing self-determination, implementing treaties, and creating generational wealth and prosperity are central to our commitment. The government will work in full partnership with Indigenous Peoples advancing shared priorities such as health care, food security, housing, education, economic prosperity, conservation, climate action and emergency management.'In Winnipeg, the Forks hosted the opening of Many Nations, One Heartbeat, an 11-day cultural festival featuring Indigenous music, fashion, games, and crafts. Organizers said the festival also honors communities displaced by ongoing wildfires in Vancouver, the Tsleil-Waututh Nation unveiled a six-metre house post by artist Zac George outside the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The city also hosted its third annual Downtown Eastside block party, transforming East Hastings Street into a celebration of Indigenous art, food, and North Slave Métis Alliance in Yellowknife served freshly caught whitefish from Great Slave Lake at a community fish fry, while in Whitehorse, residents enjoyed a jigging contest and bannock bake-off at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. Governor General Mary Simon of Ottawa welcomed youth to Rideau Hall, where they planted heart-shaped messages in a memorial 'heart garden' to honor victims and survivors of residential schools. 'Each heart is a symbol of our collective responsibility,' her office were also held in Toronto, Montreal, Saskatoon, Regina, St. John's, Charlottetown, and beyond, often featuring powwows, music, dancing, and traditional ceremonies.
CBC
21-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Mi'kmaw elder leads sunrise ceremony on National Indigenous Peoples Day
About 40 people gathered at the break of dawn Saturday near Louisbourg, N.S., for a Mi'kmaw sunrise ceremony led by Eskasoni First Nation Elder Lottie Johnson. The CBC's Anna Rak has the story.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mi'kmaw sunrise ceremony near Louisbourg starts National Indigenous Peoples Day
About 40 people gathered at the break of dawn Saturday along the Atlantic coast near Louisbourg, N.S., for a Mi'kmaw sunrise ceremony to kick off National Indigenous Peoples Day. The ceremony was led by Eskasoni First Nation Elder Lottie Johnson, who said it's meant for all people to share. But as a residential school survivor, Johnson said the ceremony holds extra meaning for her. "It's a very special time. It's quiet and as the sun comes up, you see the creation of [the] creator. Everything is so beautiful and it's like almost-new again. That's where you get the hope and the will to go on." Johnson regularly conducts the sunrise ceremony and said dawn is a good time to connect with the Earth and to pray. National Indigenous Peoples Day did not exist when she went to the residential school in Shubenacadie, but June 21 and the summer solstice hold special meaning for many of those who went. "June 21 was Freedom Day, what they called it," she said. "That was the day you get to go home for the summer. But not all of the kids went home. Some of them had no places to go, so they stayed." The sunrise ceremony, which is sacred and cannot be recorded, was organized by Allison Bernard Memorial High School teacher Jonathan Cox, along with other members of his union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada. He said holding the ceremony at Louisbourg is an important part of reconciliation, honouring the original inhabitants of what is now Canada. "It's not just a checkbox. It's something we need to do — all the settlers, colonizers, Mi'kmaq, non-Mi'kmaq, visitors." The union's first sunrise ceremony was held last year in a clearing by a look-off not far from the historic Louisbourg lighthouse, which was being refurbished at the time. The beacon is on the site of the first lighthouse in Canada, lit in 1734 by the French at the entrance to the harbour across from what is now the Fortress of Louisbourg. Now that the work on the existing structure has finished, the sunrise ceremony was held east of the lighthouse on a small cape looking out over the cold North Atlantic Ocean. Before dawn, it was windy and cold, with the ceremony conducted in a huddle using a couple of large vehicles as windbreaks. Not long after the ceremony, the clouds broke up and the sun came out. Cox said despite the cold, everything was as it should be. The Mi'kmaq are known as the People of the Dawn and they call Cape Breton Island Unama'ki, the Land of Fog. "It is a perfect way to start this day," he said. "This should be a national holiday, but we'll start with ceremonies like this, so that people can celebrate heritage." "I don't think there's a better place anywhere, period, to see the sun come up." MORE TOP STORIES
CBC
21-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Mi'kmaw sunrise ceremony near Louisbourg starts National Indigenous Peoples Day
About 40 people gathered at the break of dawn Saturday along the Atlantic coast near Louisbourg, N.S., for a Mi'kmaw sunrise ceremony to kick off National Indigenous Peoples Day. The ceremony was led by Eskasoni First Nation Elder Lottie Johnson, who said it's meant for all people to share. But as a residential school survivor, Johnson said the ceremony holds extra meaning for her. "It's a very special time. It's quiet and as the sun comes up, you see the creation of [the] creator. Everything is so beautiful and it's like almost-new again. That's where you get the hope and the will to go on." Johnson regularly conducts the sunrise ceremony and said dawn is a good time to connect with the Earth and to pray. National Indigenous Peoples Day did not exist when she went to the residential school in Shubenacadie, but June 21 and the summer solstice hold special meaning for many of those who went. "June 21 was Freedom Day, what they called it," she said. "That was the day you get to go home for the summer. But not all of the kids went home. Some of them had no places to go, so they stayed." The sunrise ceremony, which is sacred and cannot be recorded, was organized by Allison Bernard Memorial High School teacher Jonathan Cox, along with other members of his union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada. He said holding the ceremony at Louisbourg is an important part of reconciliation, honouring the original inhabitants of what is now Canada. "It's not just a checkbox. It's something we need to do — all the settlers, colonizers, Mi'kmaq, non-Mi'kmaq, visitors." The union's first sunrise ceremony was held last year in a clearing by a look-off not far from the historic Louisbourg lighthouse, which was being refurbished at the time. The beacon is on the site of the first lighthouse in Canada, lit in 1734 by the French at the entrance to the harbour across from what is now the Fortress of Louisbourg. Now that the work on the existing structure has finished, the sunrise ceremony was held east of the lighthouse on a small cape looking out over the cold North Atlantic Ocean. Before dawn, it was windy and cold, with the ceremony conducted in a huddle using a couple of large vehicles as windbreaks. Not long after the ceremony, the clouds broke up and the sun came out. Cox said despite the cold, everything was as it should be. The Mi'kmaq are known as the People of the Dawn and they call Cape Breton Island Unama'ki, the Land of Fog. "It is a perfect way to start this day," he said. "This should be a national holiday, but we'll start with ceremonies like this, so that people can celebrate heritage." "I don't think there's a better place anywhere, period, to see the sun come up."
