What to do in and around Montreal for National Indigenous Peoples Day
Indigenous communities need more spaces to gather, says Native Montreal
Native Montreal, a friendship centre, is gearing up to host its biggest event of the year to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day Saturday in Verdun.
For nearly 30 years, the summer solstice has provided an opportunity to celebrate Indigenous arts, tradition and culture.
Philippe Tsaronséré Meilleur, Native Montreal's executive director, says he's especially looking forward to seeing families come together and build community — something that isn't always easy to do given funding and infrastructure barriers, he said.
"[It's] super important because people have to see each other outside of just tackling life challenges and trying to build services or do things like that. We need to just hang out, have some fun and relax," said Meilleur.
"We honestly still don't have many opportunities to meet up as a community."
Native Montreal will hold a family barbecue-style event at Arthur-Therrien Park from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. featuring live music by Backwater Township, Innu throat singer Nina Segalowitz and the Pow Wow Rangers, a group of women drummers.
Kokums, "grandmothers" in Cree, will compete in a cook-off, children will have games to play and vendors will be showcasing their arts and crafts.
The event is happening across from some land the organization has been holding since 2018 with the goal of developing it for a major housing project and creating a space for community gatherings.
"We have many community organizations, but we don't have any major space to hold big events," said Meilleur. "So we end up having to, you know, utilize parks and rent out spaces and I think that has a direct impact on our capacity to hold events as frequently as we would probably like."
He says development has stalled due to contamination issues and lack of political support, but that the centre is still trying to make possible an indoor gathering space for the community.
More to do in Montreal
Land InSIGHTS, an organization that promotes Indigenous culture, is hosting an event at Montreal's Old Port Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. There will be a tobacco ceremony as well as traditional drums and dance.
People can also go a little later in the day to the Botanical Garden where they can shop an open-air market and listen to a performance by Wendat singer-songwriter Eadsé.
At Cabot Square, the Native Women's Shelter of Montreal is co-hosting with POP Montreal a starting at 3 p.m. featuring Anishinaabe singer-songwriter Leonard Sumner, duo Miesha and the Spanks, and Digawolf among others. There will also be a performance by the Sinquah Family Hoop Dancers, a soapstone carving workshop and a market.
For more information about what's going on in the city, the Montreal Indigenous Community Network has put together a list that can be found here.
Laughter is on the program in Kahnawà:ke
Celebrations will kick off around 11 a.m. in Kahnawà:ke, just across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal, at the Golden Age Club. The event, organized by Kahnawà:ke Tourism, will run until 5 p.m. and will include performances by stand-up comedians and Lone Wolf and the Spaghetti Corner Band.
There will also be art and food vendors, traditional workshops, face painting and inflatable structures.
Head to Joliette if you want a crowd
National Indigenous Peoples Day is Sabrina Paton's favourite day of the year, she says. The cultural development and events co-ordinator at the Lanaudière Native Friendship Centre is behind one of Quebec's biggest events on June 21, Waskapitan, which means "coming together" in Atikamekw.
"The streets are closed, the stage is in the middle of the street so everyone can dance in the middle of the street and sort of re-appropriate the territory and just celebrate together," said Paton. "Every year it's fantastic to see like everyone getting together, dancing together, no matter what culture...you're from, it's just like a moment to just share."
Last year, 2,000 people converged in downtown Joliette, Que., for the event. Patron says she's hoping to see that number grow to 3,000 on Saturday.
The show will feature musical acts from artists like Anachnid and Régis Niquay. Headliner Q-052 won't be able to attend due to a health issue, but Paton is making up for it with a few surprises that will be revealed the day of, she said.
Waskapitan is also partnering with the Bastringue circus festival happening this week in Joliette and will offer a free show by Artcirq, an Innu performing arts collective.
Kwe! Show at the National Assembly
Saturday evening, the grounds of the National Assembly in Quebec City will be home to the Kwe! Show, a free concert celebrating Indigenous culture.
Wendat violinist Geneviève Gros-Louis will open the show with a performance blending Indigenous instruments and voices with the violin.
Then, artists from 11 nations will come together to put their spin on Québécois folk-rock song Un musicien parmis tant d'autres composed by Serge Fiori.
"The song is not a translation," said Kwe!'s executive director, Mélanie Vincent. "Serge Fiori asked all the artists: 'what does it mean for you to give the voice to your people?' So, the answer to that question are the words of the song."
The night will end with a performance by alternative folk-rock band Maten in honour of Innu singer-songwriter Florent Vollant.
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