'We'll make it better together': Qalipu First Nation hopeful for National Indigenous Peoples Day

Members of the QalipuFirst Nation say they hope celebrations leading into National Indigenous Peoples Day can serve as a way to highlight culture and promote reconciliation across Newfoundland and Labrador.

The day will be observed on Monday, the summer solstice, and serves as a way to bring Canadianstogether to learn from Indigenous voices across the country. The day has been celebrated since 1996, with the name being changed from National Aboriginal Day in 2017.

The Qalipu First Nation will be putting on a series of recorded events on National Indigenous People's Day, which can be found online.

"It's being reduced this year compared to how we used to do it, but from coast to coast to coast, from Vancouver Island to St. John's, Newfoundland, tomorrow, there will be events taking place in celebration," Brendan Mitchell, chief of the QalipuFirstNation, said Sunday.

"We encourage peopleto take some time at home or around their own gardens to reflect on the relationship between Indigenous people and non-Indigenous people in this country. We recognize we have quite a bit of work to do together."

Dean Simon,co-ordinatorof theQalipu First Nation's Language Revival Project, is part of several events hoping to bring lessons and stories of the past to the forefront.

"For us, it's reclamation, because there hasn't been any fluent speakers, particularly on the west coast, for probably 50 years," Simon told CBC Radio'sWeekend AM onSaturday.

"Starting with one and creating teachers, hoping that somewhere downthe line there's a group of fluent speakers to carry forward the language into the future."

As part of his work with the First Nation, Simon has been teaching Mi'kmaw language courses across the province through Zoom. He said close to 120 people are moving through the program, shared on Facebook, and he hopes to teach more in the future.

"It wasn't something that was gave up. It was something that was taken away. And we're taking it back," he said.

'We have a lot of work to do':Mitchell

Mitchell says recent events are putting more focus onthis year's celebrations. In particular, he highlighted the discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at a former residential school in British Columbia.

"[It]brings us back to the situation of residential schools [and] what happened there," Mitchell said.

"The residential school situation, the finding of those children's bodies in Kamloops and other locations across the country will bring heightened attention to National Indigenous Peoples Day."

Simon said hehopes thespotlight will translate into a continued interest in learning and reconciliation efforts.

"Newfoundland, from my mother's lifetime and my lifetime, [has] been denied the presence of Mi'kmaq people," Simonsaid.

"I see Premier [Andrew] Furey seems very receptive to Indigenous relations. I just hope that it continues, and people taking interest in a culture, and particularly the language."

Mitchell echoed that sentiment.

"We have a lot of work to do in this country," he said.

"I think things are getting a little better, but we still see examples from time to time where we know things aren't the way they should be. But hopefully, things can get better, and maybe we'll make it better together."

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