National Aboriginal Day is June 21st. (GOVERNMENT OF CANADA)
City employees marked National Aboriginal Day beginning with a prayer in the City Hall courtyard on Tuesday morning.
Elder Carol Moar led a smudge and prayer ceremony, along with an honour song by Wayne Ruby Jr..
“This year’s Annual National Aboriginal Day celebration is extra special for Winnipeg given that it is taking place during the 2016 Year of Reconciliation,” said Mayor Brian Bowman. “National Aboriginal Day is about remembering our roots and celebrating them together, and there is no better place to celebrate than Winnipeg.”
Festivities also included First Nations, Métis, and Inuit traditional performances, and interactive activities such as bannock making, jig lessons and round dancing.
Over at The Forks, a Founding Nations Pow Wow was held under the canopy.
The day is a lead up to the big event on Saturday, June 25 with APTN Aboriginal Day Live from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. A complete schedule of events is listed at aboriginaldaylive.ca.
ChrisD.ca video
