Friendship centres, cities to host National Indigenous People's Day celebrations

Monday marks National Indigenous People's Day (NIPD) in Canada, with various events and activities taking place across Saskatchewan. 

In Regina, the ninth annual NIPD celebration of take place virtually.

A live-streamed event that will take place through the city's NIPD Facebook page will feature learning opportunities about First Nations Inuit and Métis culture, heritage and achievements.

Performances start at 10 a.m. CST. Once the event has concluded, a City of Regina news release says SaskaTel Max would feature a recording on-demand. 

Elsewhere, the Nēwo-Yōtina Friendship Centre is set to host an event in Regina that will include a keynote speech from Saskatchewan's Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty and a speech from Cowessess First Nation Chief Cadmus Delorme.

That event will take place at the Core Community Park at 1219 11th Ave. at 4 p.m. CST. Anyone who attends is asked to abide by COVID-19 guidelines. 

In the Bridge City, the Saskatoon Indian Métis Friendship Centre is set to launch part one of it's two-part series Our Voices: Indigenous Languages Close to Home.

The series looks at the work being done to revitalize Indigenous languages through education, arts, community partnerships and activism. 

The Friendship Centre's executive director, Robert Doucette, says the series will explore language as culture and a offer a glimpse of "what the future holds" for Indigenous culture and language in Saskatoon. 

"We are proud to shine a light on the many ways we can celebrate our languages and the people who are responsible for making the revitalization happen," Doucette said in a prepared statement. 

Georgina Jolibois, mayor of La Loche Mayor and a former MP, will tell the story of how she and a few of her colleagues at the federal level fought to see the Indigenous Languages Act enacted.

Chandrell Marshall is to share a story about the pre-kindergarten Heritage Michif program at Westmount Community School.

Cree elder and knowledge keeper Joseph Naytowhow and Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark are to share a story about the city's Placemaker temporary art program and the Cree syllabics projects at River Land and on the Craft Council Building.

The event will be hosted through the Friendship Centre's website. 

In Prince Albert, that city's friendship centre is to host a virtual event as well. 

Indigenous artists, singers and dancers are set to perform live and virtually, and the event's lineup also features beading video and a bannock-making tutorial. 

Things are set to kick off at 2 p.m. CST via the Prince Albert Indian Métis Friendship Centre's YouTube page.