On June 21st, honour National Aboriginal Day with us at Anishinabe Spiritual Centre.
The Canadian Parliament designated the summer solstice – the first day of summer and the longest day of the year – as a day to commemorate the vast and rich contributions of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples. This day, celebrated since 1996, is honoured with events from coast to coast to coast to recognize the essential role of Canada’s diverse Aboriginal Peoples.
We are deeply privileged to live and work among First Nations people here at the Centre and, while we want to be aware of our Aboriginal Peoples every day, June 21st will be a special recognition of the many gifts Aboriginal Peoples bring to us here, and to each of us as Canadians, as well as the many challenges they face to receive proper recognition and restitution.
Canada’s National Aboriginal Day each June 21st is annually held to celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of the nation’s Aboriginal peoples (the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples). The importance of this day is not only to identify and pay homage to the social, economic, and political contributions that Aboriginal Peoples have made to the fabric of Canada, but it is, at the very least, equally as important to recognize the historical and systemic hardships and exploitation that Aboriginal Peoples have endured during the post-colonial era.
In celebration of National Aboriginal Day, His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will attend the Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival’s Education Day Event, on Friday, June 21, 2013 at Vincent Massey Park in Ottawa, delivering brief remarks at 12:10 p.m.
Please also visit: http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013248/1100100013249, the Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada’s website for this designated day and for ideas on how to honour it. *
We at Anishinabe Spiritual Centre offer prayers for all peoples of Canada, and our hope is to be people who bring peace and greater unity amidst pain and division. We invite you to join us in this intention.
(* with files from the Government of Canada, Ontario’s Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs and the UFCW)