Celebrating today, working for more victories tomorrow

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/06/2023 (886 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Royal Canadian Mint has recognized June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day, by releasing a commemorative $2 coin.

“For the first time on a Canadian circulation coin,” the news release states, “three different artists have collaborated on a single reverse design. Together, they have fused personal visions of their respective cultures to create a unique perspective of First Nations, Inuit and Métis heritage.”

Featuring three inter-related colourful images by artists Megan Currie from English River First Nation, Myrna Pokiak (Agnaviak) from the Inuvialuit Settlement Region and Jennine Krauchi of the Red River Métis, the coin has a green background (instead of gold), includes images of the lunar cycle and comes both coloured and uncoloured.

It’s not the first time the mint has produced an Indigenous-themed toonie. In summer 2020, it issued a coin to recognize Haida artist Bill Reid.

This comes two weeks after Canada Post announced new stamps honouring Nellie Cournoyea (Canada’s first Indigenous female premier), George Manuel (former president of the Assembly of First Nations), and Thelma Chalifoux (Métis activist and first female senator in Canada).

This is not a first for Canada Post, either. Last fall, four stamps by Indigenous artists were released to recognize the legacy of residential schools and the importance of reconciliation.

National Indigenous Peoples Day in June has in many ways given way to National Indigenous History Month, with weekly themes such as: “Environment, traditional knowledge and territory” from June 5-11 and “Languages, cultures, and arts” from June 19-25 and events taking place every day.

This week, for example, I spoke at events run by PCL construction, the Chartered Professional Accountants of Manitoba, and the Winnipeg Airports Authority.

Even APTN’s Indigenous Day Live event — one of the most well-known nationally televised displays of Indigenous music, culture, and food at multiple sites throughout the country — took place not on June 21 but on Saturday, June 17.

For those who don’t want to leave their house, the online world has some incredible and entertaining platforms during June too.

Not to miss are the pages on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights website that honour Indigenous nurses and the story of Métis rights activist Elzéar Goulet, and the downloadable Indigenous Stories collection on CBC Gem.

June is beginning to look like what Canada was always supposed to be; with the inclusion of Indigenous peoples, cultures, and communities in every segment of society.

We are witnessing the 27-year impact of National Indigenous Peoples Day, birthed in 1996 after numerous calls for a day to recognize Indigenous contributions to Canada.

We are witnessing the 27-year impact of National Indigenous Peoples Day, birthed in 1996 after numerous calls for a day to recognize Indigenous contributions to Canada.

In fact, the struggle for the day came a decade and a half before that, when leaders from the Assembly of First Nations passed a resolution in 1982 for the federal government to create a national “Aboriginal Solidarity Day.

Simply put, it has taken decades of struggle to get to this point.

I remember when “Aboriginal Peoples Day” was just a page on the Government of Canada website and something no one really cared about — besides a few friendship centres, First Nations, and Indigenous organizations.

Indigenous Peoples Day (now month) has become a full part of Canadian society.

Offices throughout the public and private sphere don’t just make territorial acknowledgements this month but produce T-shirts with Indigenous languages, host events with hoop dancers and elders, and recognize Indigenous leaders, colleagues, and clients.

It’s beginning to be that if a workplace doesn’t recognize June as Indigenous something, it’s an anomaly, not the norm (that’s an encouraging nudge, in case it’s not obvious).

Of course, new toonies, stamps, and T-shirts don’t return stolen land, result in the recognition of Indigenous rights, or reverse the thousands of Indigenous people in jail, sleeping in tents, or women and girls who go murdered and missing – so there’s more work to do.

The job of our generation is to not make relationships with Indigenous communities the focus of a day or a month but do it every day and every month.

The job of our generation is to not make relationships with Indigenous communities the focus of a day or a month but do it every day and every month.

I’m at the age though when I have witnessed how reconciliation works.

It begins with fierce, strong Indigenous voices struggling for decades for just a day to honour Indigenous peoples.

This eventually turns into many events and even a month. Along the way are a lot of performative, ornamental, and kind of silly steps but each represents a move toward inclusion.

Then, when enough power brokers recognize the contributions of Indigenous peoples, a big change happens — like the return of Kapyong Barracks and the Naawi-Oodena project on Kenaston Boulevard or the Manitoba Métis Federation negotiating a self-government agreement.

It’s slow, methodical, and frankly frustrating work because many lives are left behind, neglected, and lost along the way.

It should be faster, but it’s happening. So, good on us.

And, let’s get to work on the real stuff.

niigaan.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca