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Come together to honour Indigenous history, culture & contributions

CBC celebrates the rich cultures, stories, and spirit of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples on June 21

National Indigenous Peoples Day

CBC Communications ·
A poster for National Indigenous Peoples Day. On the right side with a green background are the words in white text: Celebrate National Indigenus Peoples Day" and the CBC logo is under it. To the left of that block is a colourful Indigenous artwork of various designs including colorful flowers against a pale blue designed background.
As the sun rises on June 21, it brings the return of summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and the start of National Indigenous Peoples Day.


Join CBC in celebrating the rich cultures, stories, and spirit of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples from across Turtle Island. Discover powerful storytelling, the songs of resilience, and achievements showcased at the Indspire Awards. Let's come together to honour, learn, and celebrate.

Eight people in Indigenous regalia some with various musical instruments. In the middle are the words: Resonate: Songs of Resilience, June 21, Watch free CBC Gem (in white text) on a black background. There are teal, white, red and yellow pieces of the CBC logo in the top right corner and the CBC Indigenous logo in white in the top left corner.
Resonate: Songs of Resilience - June 21 on CBC Gem and CBC Indigenous' YouTube channel. 
Also available on CBC News streaming channels June 21 and 22.
CBC Indigenous takes you into Indigenous country to hear songs of roots and resistance. Watch the one-hour special, Resonate: Songs of Resilience, celebrating communities and families through music, while sharing personal stories and experiences.
 
Three people. A woman in from in an Indigenous dress with tattoos, long braided hair, hold an award, behind her is an older woman in a blue and black dress with an Inuit pattern and a man in a black tuxedo and white shirt and black bowtie. They are all holding up awards. Above their heads are the words "indspire awards' Celebrating Indigenous Excellence.
Indspire Awards - June 21 at 7p.m./ 8 AT 8:30 NT on CBC TV and CBC Gem
7 p.m. (8 AT, 8:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem
Twelve outstanding Indigenous achievers from a diverse list of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities will be celebrated during the broadcast of the 2025 Indspire Awards, which recognize outstanding achievements from Indigenous peoples across the country in a variety of fields, including: the arts; business and commerce; culture, heritage and spirituality; education; health; law and justice; public service; sports; and lifetime achievement.


Three Youth Award winners are also honoured for their accomplishments, serving as role models to other First Nations, Inuit, and Métis youth across Turtle Island. After 31 years, the Indspire Awards have honoured over 400 First Nations, Inuit, and Métis individuals who demonstrate outstanding achievement across Turtle Island and beyond. Learn more about the 2025 recipients.


A man in red shorts and a red t-shirt sits with five people in Indigenous regalia on a bench. Above them are the words: "Searching for Winnetou"
Searching For Winnetou - 8 p.m. (9 AT, 9:30 NT) on CBC TV or Watch Free on CBC Gem. 
Searching for Winnetou looks at the fine line between appreciation and appropriation of Indigenous traditions. The documentary follows Ojibway author and humourist Drew Hayden Taylor as he travels to Germany to investigate "Indianer" camps, where obsessive hobbyists erect teepees, fashion tomahawks, bead leather, and hold powwows.
 
A young woman with black braids over her shoulders with a field behind her. The word Beans is to her right in red letters.
Beans - 9 p.m. (10 AT, 10:30 NT) on CBC TV or Watch Free on CBC Gem
Drawing from her own experiences as a child, filmmaker Tracey Deer provides a poignant and engaging chronicle of real-life events that shook the nation. Beans takes place at the height of the 1990 Mohawk Resistance at Kanehsatà:ke (also known as the Oka Crisis), a 78-day standoff between Indigenous land defenders, Quebec police, the RCMP, and the Canadian military, over the proposed expansion of a golf course on to a Mohawk burial ground. Twelve-year-old Tekehentahkhwa (nicknamed Beans) grapples with her anger over the treatment of her people. The CBC Films-supported film won Best Motion Picture and the John Dunning Best First Feature Film at the 2021 Canadian Screen Awards. 

A series of six photos of Absolutely Canadian documentaries. There are three posters on top, from left: Tea Creek, The Death Tour and Northlore; On the bottom are three photos: The Forgotten Warrior poster, the Absoutely Canadian graphic and Giiwe: Returning Home poster.
Absolutely Canadian doc series - available now on CBC Gem
Indigenous-themed documentaries from the Absolutely Canadian documentary series showcase powerful locally produced films from communities across Canada. Tea Creek explores the rich history of Indigenous agriculture and the ongoing impacts of colonization; The Death Tour follows wrestling hopefuls pursuing their dreams through remote Indigenous communities in Canada's far North; Northlore elevates extraordinary true stories of survival on the land through animation; Giiwe:Returning Home is the filmmaker's journey to reconnect to his traditions and culture; and The Forgotten Warriors follows the true story of Mi'kmaq activists who went on a hunger strike to secure their rights to self-determination.
Return of the Spirit Horses (coming to CBC Gem June 21) - An Indigenous filmmaker reconnects with the stories of his youth through the once nearly extinct Ojibwe Spirit Horses, now revitalizing in Chatham-Kent, Ontario.

A poster for the Indigenous Stories series on CBC Gem. Features posters for titles North of North; Bones of Crows; Tribal and Reservation Dogs.
Indigenous Stories - Watch Free on CBC Gem
Featuring a variety of series, documentaries and feature films including a short doc celebrating a special graduation season for a James Smith First Nation family, Graduation Day; an Ininimowin-language version of Tanya Talaga's docuseries, The Knowing; documentaries Aitamaako 'Tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun, following the thrilling Indian Relay horse race, and Bring Them Home / Aiskótáhkapiyaaya narrated by Academy Award nominee Lily Gladstone and chronicling a decades-long initiative to bring wild buffalo back to the Blackfeet Reservation; Season 2 of competition series Bears' Lair, as 18 Indigenous entrepreneurs pitch their business plans; Delta Dawn, the winner of the Hot Docs Best Canadian Short Documentary Award about Indigenous wrestling sensation Dawn Murphy; Season 2 of crime drama Tribal; and feature film Rosie, a cross-cultural family drama.
 
A woman with braided black hair. Braids over her shoulders with long beaded earrings in a black jacket and black and grey t-shirt. Stands against dark red background with an Indigenous design in bright red. The word Unrserved is in white text to the left of the woman.
Unreserved (New episodes available every Friday everywhere podcasts are available, and airing Sundays at 2 p.m. (2:30 NT) and Tuesdays at 1 p.m. (1:30 NT) on CBC Radio and CBC Listen) In a special episode dropping June 20, host Rosanna Deerchild speaks with the drum dance group Kilautiup Songuninga based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
 

Broadcasting June 18 on CBC Music and June 22 on CBC Radio, Reclaimed with host Jarrett Martineau features Part 3 of National Indigenous History Month, showcasing a special celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day and a Summer Solstice Dance Party. Catch up on Part 1 and 2 of Reclaimed's National Indigenous History Month series on CBC Listen. CBC Music will also feature an Essentials segment on Mornings and a Deep Dive segment on Drive covering the Halluci Nation (June 20), and CBC Music hosts will be presenting special playlists and interviews with Indigenous artists all week and into June 21 across all shows. 

 

CBC Books offers recommended reading lists curated by Indigenous writers David A. Robertson, Monique Gray Smith and more.   

On CBC Radio, CBC Books will feature Indigenous writers across all programs including Bookends with Mattea Roach in conversation with David A. Robertson about his book 52 Ways to Reconcile (now streaming) and a panel about memoirs featuring Tanya Talaga, author of The Knowing (June 22). The Next Chapter discussed Christian Allaire's memoir, From the Rez to the Runway (now streaming), and shares a Prout Questionnaire from Michelle Good (June 21). Also available on CBC Listen and wherever you get your podcasts.   

Check out CBC Music's incredible Indigenous Playlists available to stream on CBC Listen and featuring everything from traditional beats to hip hop and electric powwow.

CBC Music recommends Five Indigenous musicians to know in 2025. These emerging Indigenous artists are carving out spaces for themselves with their music, from soulful singer-songwriters to fiddlers who are embracing folk and country, to experimental rockers.
 

A cartoon of a young girl in Inuit jacket wearing a blue knitted hat with a pink pom-pom. She is waving and stands against a background of a snowy mountain and a house with a sign that reads: Molly of Denali.
CBC Kids showcases award-winning programs on CBC Gem, such as Anaana's Tent in both English and Inuktitut, Teepee Time in English and Mi'kmaq, and Molly of Denali. For more National Indigenous History Month with CBC Kids programming, visit the CBC Kids section on CBC Gem. 


How do you say "fox" in Cree? Or "wolf" in Inuktitut? How about "moose" in Ojibwe/Anishinaabemowin? The new CBC Kids Indigenous Language playlist on YouTube teaches animal words in three languages.  

CBC Kids News visits Ulukhaktok, N.W.T. for a multi-part series with digital stories and videos that showcase the community and their traditional practices. Available on CBCKidsNews.ca and the CBC Kids News YouTube channel. 

Photos courtesy of CBC.

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