It was once again a quiet June 21 as far as live activities are concerned on National Indigenous People’s Day in the Battlefords.
But that didn’t stop a number of activities and commemorations from happening virtually, and some live events did happen on a limited scale.
Typically, Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre would host the June 21 celebrations downtown with a pancake breakfast and live entertainment. Instead, BRT6HC announced they would host Indigenous Peoples Day virtually on their Facebook page from 2 to 4:30 p.m. It can also be viewed later with a replay on Facebook and on Access TV.
They promoted a lineup of Indigenous and Metis performers appearing by livestream from the stage of Dekker Centre for the Performing Arts. Among those who appeared on stage were singer Bianca St. Martin, poet Janelle “ecoaborijanelle” Pewapisconias, and singer Leonard Fulton.
Also scheduled was a performance from local Pow Wow dancers in their regalia, in a special tribute to the children who lost their precious lives while in residential schools.
Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs has also gone virtual with a Virtual Dance Showcase to celebrate Indigenous History Month. They hosted a Virtual Dance Competition on their Facebook page and were taking entries up to 12 noon June 21 by Messenger. Videos have been posted on the BATC Facebook page and all dancers will be entered to win prizes worth over $5,000.
The Western Development Museum is one of the few venues that offered live events on June 21. They hosted two sessions of activities at 1 and 3 p.m., with maximums of 150 spectators.
It featured a Grand Entry and prayer by an elder, as well as Dance Demonstrations: Men’s/Ladies Traditional, Men’s Grass Dance, Ladies Jingle, Men’s/Ladies Fancy, Ladies Old Style Fancy and Men’s Chicken Dance. There was no charge for those attending.
