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Chiefs mark National Aboriginal Day with pipe ceremony
Garry McLean (left) lights the Chief's Pipe for Grand Chief Derek Nepinak who is seated beside Elder Elmer Courchene. (WAYNE GLOWACKI/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
First Nation chiefs in Manitoba marked National Aboriginal Day Thursday morning with a pipe ceremony.
The sacred ceremony was recorded by media in a departure from aboriginal tradition which usually bans cameras and other recording equipment.
"For a lot of generations many of our people and others with me, we felt we had to keep our ceremonies underground. We don't need to do that now," Grand Chief Derek Nepinak said.
"We are in a state of renewal for our people and it's very important we no longer hide who we are."
Nepinak conducted the ceremony with Ojibway elders Elmer Courchene and Percy Houle.
Traditional ceremonies were banned by federal law during much of the Indian residential school era when aboriginal people were compelled to abandon their spiritual beliefs for Christianity.
Since 1996, Canada has marked June 21 as a day to recognize aboriginal contributions to the country.
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