Honouring The Stories During National Indigenous Peoples Day

By: ev+ AGENCY  /  General

ev+AGENCY is very honoured to salute National Indigenous Peoples Day. It’s a day where Canadians recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. For us at ev+AGENCY, it’s more personal. National Indigenous Peoples Day is about storytelling and the sharing of well crafted stories that enlighten the senses, lift the spirit and preserve the truth about history and legacies.

As an Agency, we understand the power of a well crafted story and for us, there is no better story to share than that of Indigenous Peoples in our city, our province and our country. Wilton Goodstriker, Elder in the Kainai Blackfoot community, renowned announcer and the first Indigenous Blackfoot member of the Calgary Police Service may have said it best, “Many of our teachings you can’t share in a book. When a person wants to learn, they’ll sit with an Elder and say, ‘Teach Me.’ The Elder will tell you stories, sing you songs… Knowledge that’s given only to the head is easily forgotten. Knowledge that’s given to the whole person stays with that person for the rest of their lives.”

On June 21st, we invite you to take time to honour and observe National Indigenous Peoples Day. There are numerous events across Alberta and Canada to take part in, however, we would like to encourage you to take part in the storytelling legacy of the National Indigenous Peoples. Two fantastic venues for experiencing the art of Indigenous Storytelling can be found at Fort Edmonton Park and the Royal Alberta Museum.  

Fort Edmonton Park’s Indigenous Peoples Experience (iyiniwak okiskêyihtamowiniwaw) is an award winning journey of history and storytelling, and was created through deep conversations with over fifty Indigenous Elders, historians, educators, and community members. Immerse yourself in the numerous stories of the many diverse Indigenous Peoples. 

Fort Edmonton Park’s Indigenous Peoples Experience among the best – AlbertaPrimeTimes.com

Fort Edmonton Park’s Indigenous Peoples Experience has been recognized with an international award. Photo supplied.

The Royal Alberta Museum’s Indigenous Studies Collection features approximately 18,000 objects of Indigenous origin. The Collection holds great meaning for originating communities as the Royal Alberta Museum works with cultural knowledge holders to ensure the collection is cared for in a culturally sensitive and respectful way.

Drums and cultural objects originating with several First Nations are on view at the Royal Alberta Museum. A page on the museum’s website indicates how groups and individuals can apply to repatriate objects from the collection. A separate permanent exhibit also addresses the cultural genocide involving residential schools. Photo: Royal Alberta Museum.

Our hope is that the stories shared during National Indigenous Peoples Day don’t just start and stop on June 21st, that the stories told on this day turn into a lifetime of learning about the rich history of the people who have been part of Turtle Island since time immemorial. We guarantee that the time you invest in understanding the stories from our past, will greatly enrich your future.