Lethbridge joined National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations across the country on Wednesday.
A ceremony was held at city hall opening the day’s events, as dignitaries offered remarks recognizing the day’s significance.
“Today’s really about learning about our culture, about celebrating our culture,” said Echo Nowak, an Indigenous relations specialist with the city of Lethbridge. “Celebrating the diverse, different nations that live in Lethbridge.”
That leading into events throughout the afternoon at Galt Gardens and Fort Whoop-Up, where the Galt Museum and Archives opened its Blackfoot gallery to the public.
Organizers hope the activities share Indigenous culture through a modern perspective.
“It’s not just in an historical context that we reside on the traditional territory of the Niitsitapi people, that they are still making new stories and creating new things,” said Fort Whoop-Up site coordinator Connor Kenney.
“Many organizations have been taking it upon themselves to educate themselves and include our people in that education,” said Kirby Smith, a director with the Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council.
Smith calls the Blackfoot Resource Hub and the Blood Tribe Department of Health’s increasing presence in Lethbridge – including it’s oversight of the Lethbridge Shelter and Stabilization Centre – positive developments.
He believes National Indigenous Peoples Day serves as a reminder all levels of the community need to keep working together.
“We need to continue to look at some of the challenges that face our communities and try to overcome some of the difficulties our people are facing,” Smith said.
“It’s great to highlight those days and it’s great to remember, but it is an issue that needs to be solves and it only is solved when we work on it every day,” Nowak said. “We really have made huge progress, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Events continue throughout the week in Lethbridge. A full schedule can be found on the city’s website.
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