National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrated in the spirit of unity

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This article was published 22/06/2018 (2871 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

National Indigenous Peoples Day has continued to grow, and Thursday was a testament to that growth as crowds of people gathered at the Riverbank Discovery Centre in Brandon to take part in the celebration.

“The growth of National Indigenous Peoples Day, I think has just been organic, it’s just happened by itself,” said Jason Gobeil, chair of this year’s event and Aboriginal community co-ordinator with the Brandon Urban Aboriginal Peoples Council.

Gobeil estimated that about 2,500 people came through by 4 p.m. on Thursday.

New additions to the event this year included a variety of food trucks available on site, as well as a hoop dancer.

Drums thundered in the distance and intertribal music played to welcome Emilie McKinney to the stage.

With an audience of about 40 people, McKinney performed a dance with hoops, something the 17-year-old said she started doing when she was 13. The dance is more than just entertainment, she said — there’s meaning to what they perform.

“A lot of hoop dancers they tell stories, whether it’s animals or plants, even they’ll have a symbol that represents the earth,” McKinney said. “It also represents unity, gradually as you pick up a hoop, the more and more hoops they become different things, and in the end they all form as one.”

McKinney herself shifted throughout her dance, from a butterfly to a flower to a horse rider, and eventually an eagle.

“The crowd was very interactive, it was amazing,” she said after her performance.

It’s a way that those living in Brandon can learn more about each other.

“Having a type of celebration like this lets people become more active, whether it’s joining a round dance or even you know having all these booths, there’s people here that came here that are ready to talk about their culture … and also to celebrate it, to be proud to be Indigenous,” McKinney said.

Audience members had the chance to get out of the red bleachers and up off the grass, and dance themselves, when they were invited to participate in a round dance. Although traditionally this dance was used to find a mate and scout out the best dancer, Gobeil said the meaning behind it has changed.

“We use it to unify people and bring people together, and when you hold hands and dance to a round dance, you truly become part of something that’s much bigger than you,” Gobeil said.

Despite the 30 C weather on Thursday, many people got up to take part, young and old. Myran Hamm, a constable with the Brandon Police Service, decided to take a break from duty and join in.

For a moment on Thursday he was twirling around in a circle with strangers to the beat of a few drums.

“We’re not just police officers, we’re also members of the community,” said Hamm, who was participating in his first-ever round dance.

“I’ve never experienced that before, so it’s just nice to see everybody together.”

Unity was a theme expressed by many throughout National Indigenous Peoples Day.

This is the first year the event was held at the Riverbank Discovery Centre, something Gobeil said he hopes to see continue.

“I think now we found a home (here),” he said.

“I’m just truly thankful to everyone that’s come out with open hearts, they’re all glowing, they’re all smiling,” Gobeil said. “We’re just so proud to be a part of such a forthcoming community that has accepted us for who we are.”

» mverge@brandonsun.com

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