Indigenous celebration draws hundreds to Brandon

Brandon marked the 30th anniversary of its National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration, bringing together hundreds of people from across western Manitoba for a day of culture, music, dance and community.

The milestone event, held at the Riverbank Discovery Centre grounds on Sunday, featured many of the activities that have become annual favourites over the past three decades.

Committee chair Charlena Thies said the group added fireworks as a special feature during the celebration to mark its 30th anniversary.

“That’s our big thing this year,” she told the Sun. “Throughout the day, visitors enjoyed cultural displays, music, food, demonstrations and performances celebrating First Nations, Métis and Inuit traditions.”

Thies estimated that attendance remained steady throughout the day, with people continuously arriving and leaving the site.

“I would say we had over 500 people,” she said during the afternoon festivities. “Most likely it’s going to be more than that.”

The celebration attracted visitors not only from Brandon, but also from communities across the region.

“We have people from Brandon and the surrounding area, including Sioux Valley, probably the Dauphin area, Winnipeg, just all over,” Thies said.

Among the cultural attractions were Dakota and Métis artifact displays, a flint-knapping demonstration showcasing traditional stone-working techniques, vendors and crafters, and the annual powwow dance demonstration.

During the powwow presentation, dancers representing a variety of styles — including jingle dress, grass, traditional and shawl dances — demonstrated their regalia and shared the significance behind each dance.

A planned voyageur canoe display had to be cancelled because of high water levels.

“We were hoping to have them again this year, but it just didn’t turn out for us,” Thies said. “The water conditions made the activity unsafe.”

One of the highlights of this year’s event was the inclusion of Inuit throat singing performers Aleatra Sammurtok and Caramello Swan of Winnipeg.

The cousins, whose families are originally from Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut, performed traditional Inuit throat songs, known in Inuktitut as ‘Katajjaq.’

“The first song we did was called ‘The Love Song,’ and it’s more of a soother, easier kind of throat song to learn,” Sammurtok told the Sun. “It’s kind of a lullaby.”

She said that historically, Inuit mothers used throat singing to soothe babies carried in an amauti, a traditional baby carrier worn on a mother’s back.

“When a mom would carry a baby in her amauti, the baby would feel the vibrations and the movements from the mother’s throat singing,” she said.

Sammurtok, who has practised throat singing since she was 13, said performing at Brandon’s celebration was especially meaningful.

“This is my first time (in Brandon), and I just feel like it’s a great celebration to include Inuit people and Inuit culture,” she said. “I feel like 10 years ago our culture was pretty pushed back, so having it be inclusive with other Indigenous celebrations is a great way to feel included.”

Swan said throat singing remains an important way for urban Inuit to stay connected to their roots.

“Inuit throat singing gives us a sense of connection, culture and community,” she said. “It’s very important to practise it living in an urban setting, as we already have a big disconnect from our culture. It helps us feel reconnected to our culture.”

Brandon Mayor Jeff Fawcett said the annual event has become an important celebration of Indigenous cultures and relationships within the community.

“This is just a celebration, and it feels good,” he said. “Being able to be around everybody, watching dancers, listening to singers — it feels good.”

Fawcett also praised the inclusion of Inuit throat singers in this year’s festivities.

“I’ve heard throat singers, but I’ve never watched throat singers sing, and that is quite something,” he said. “We don’t have a very large Inuit population in Brandon, but we do have some, so that inclusion was really kind of a nice addition.”

» aodutola@brandonsun.com

» X: @AbiolaOdutola