National Indigenous Day 2018 - Trout Lake

June 21^st is National Indigenous Day and we went to Aboriginal Friendship Center to celebrate and explore the culture of Indigenous peoples. The morning featured traditional dances from the Squamish Nation and Nisga Nation and it was my first time watching the First Nations traditional dances in real life. During my practicum, I was teaching a unit on Indigenous peoples in BC so I learned about the button blankets, thunderbird masks and rattles First Nations used during a dance. Now I finally was able to see these items in real life. The button blankets the dancers wore looked so beautiful with various designs and patterns on them. When the dancers shook the feathers down the floor, I instantly was able to connect this move with the book that I have read to the students in my practicum class, Peace Dancer. Shaking the feathers is a way the dancer blesses the audience. Knowing the story behind the dance, I was able to enjoy the dance even more.

After the dances were finished, we gathered beside the Friendship Center for the Friendship Walk to Trout Lake along Commercial Drive. There were many people participating in the walk. During the walk, the Indigenous people were singing and playing with the drums. The walk was successful in raising the awareness and sharing of the Indigenous culture. Some pedestrians were asking what the walk was for and joined the walk after hearing that the walk was for celebrating National Indigenous Day.

Trout Lake hosted vendors selling various types of items including indigenous artwork, jewelry and decorations. One food truck was providing free bannock with chili, which was delicious. I was surprised that bannocks actually come in different flavours not just with jam and butter. For one of the booths, I have signed the petition about making National Indigenous Day as a statutory holiday in Canada. I feel that a major step towards reconciliation is for the government to recognize the contributions of Indigenous people. I have also learned that the four sacred medicines of First Nations from one of the booths. Overall, I am glad that I had a chance to come and celebrate the National Indigenous Day with the rest of the crowd. It was truly eye opening and I have learned a lot from this event.