Wanuskewin celebrates National Indigenous Peoples Day

Rainy conditions didn’t stop hundreds of people, many wearing orange shirts or traditional Indigenous regalia, from showing up to Wanuskewin Heritage Park in Saskatoon on Saturday to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Wearing orange is symbolic of reconciliation, residential school survivors and those who did not return home, recognizing the harmful impact on Indigenous people and communities.

“(We’re) kind of rolling with it, it’s a rainy day but we were able to come inside,” said Jusinda Rosenkerr, booth vendor at the heritage centre. “This is lovely, this is wonderful.”

National Indigenous Peoples Day about learning about, honouring, and appreciating the Indigenous culture, and Rosenkerr said she hopes people can leave with one nugget of information:

“We’re still here and very much flourishing and reclaiming what has been lost.”

Jusinda Rosenkerr at her booth at Wanuskewin’s National Indigenous Peoples Day event. (Will Mandzuk/650CKOM)

Attendee Tanya Elliot also hopes people understand Indigenous culture is thriving.

“I would hope that they can take away that our culture is alive and well,” she said.

Elliot said National Indigenous Peoples Day is important to her.

“It means that we can share who we are, and that we also are sharing this Earth together,” she said.

Doug Hyndford, Co-Executive Director of Operations with Wanuskewin, said people will all approach the day differently, with a number of mindsets.

“It’s a great day of recognition, a celebration, a chance for learning,” he said.

Hyndford said the event was a chance for him to sit back and reflect on all that he has lived through and the noticeable changes that he has witnessed when it comes to the traditional teaching of Indigenous people.

“I’ve witnessed so much in my life, my mom’s generation was being beaten for speaking their language,” he said.

“(Now) I look at the children who are learning the language, are learning to dance, so it’s interesting the amount of change that’s happened in a very short period of time.

“Recognition of the culture of the plains,” he said. “The other important part is that connection to the land, the importance of this is our home.”

Alana Ross, Minister of Parks, Culture and Sport, said it’s crucial people take the time to learn about the history of Indigenous people, their culture and their traditions.

“There’s parts of our history that we aren’t proud of… and it’s important that we learn and understand that,” she said. “In order to move forward and support everyone … we really need to understand that.”

Ross said she was happy to see so many people take the time out of their day to walk around Wanuskewin and either tour the museum or to head to the Indigenous artisan market and support local vendors.

She said it’s important that people keep an open mind when it comes to approaching National Indigenous Peoples Day.

“How important it is to understand the cultures of others and how to understand the history of our nation,” she said.

The event at Wanuskewin also featured traditional dances and the ability to try Indigenous foods.

— with files by CKOM News