June 21st is a significant day for many reasons. It represents the beginning of the summer and also the celebration of Indigenous people. To celebrate this special date, people are gathering at the Wortley Village Green this Wednesday from 12 PM to 4 PM to dance, educate and share memories.
‘’There’s three main populations’’, says a local craftsman. He’s referring to the communities Chippewas of Thames, Oneida Nation of the Thames and Munsee-Delaware First Nation.
‘’Every indigenous nation from across is represented here today. It brings folks to our community to celebrate the progress that has happened within the indigenous people across Canada. For those who don’t know this is also acknowledged as the indigenous history awareness month’’.
The festivities started at 5:30 AM and featured a sunrise ceremony. Visitors could enjoy singers, dancers, food, vendors and other community service providers.
Lisa Jackson, Indigenous Resource Consultant at South West Regional Cancer Program, says she’s very happy Canada has made the day a National Holiday: ‘’We’re celebrating our uniqueness, our culture and everything that makes us Indigenous. It’s a very significant day, it’s also the longest day of the year.
She added on explaining how their job can help Indigenous people struggling with cancer.
‘’There’s 14 regional programs in Ontario, ours is one of them. We work under the seven priorities, building relationships, education, research, equity and a lot more.’’
Lisa says questions are encouraged and should be forwarded through their website cancercareontario.ca.
The event, skipped in 2020 due to the pandemics, welcomes everybody to bring in a lawn chair and reusable food containers and utensils.
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