Trespassers' powwow, drums beat out pre-Canada celebration at Regina camp
Justice for Our Stolen Children camp held its own separate event in advance of Canada Day festivities
Regina residents, powwow dancers and musicians flocked to the Justice for Our Stolen Children camp site on Saturday, as the camp held a pre-Canada celebration on Saturday.
"Canada is the displacement of Indigenous people, so for us, we're celebrating pre-Canada," camp supporter Robyn Pitawanakwat had explained in the lead-up to Saturday's festivities. "It's a day for us to rejoice."
The event featured a trespassers' powwow, while Pitawanakwat said she was surprised by an addition of another teepee to join the nine others that were previously standing at the site, in front of the Saskatchewan Legislature. The latest teepee was a show of support from Carry the Kettle and Pasqua First Nations, she said.
The camp started shortly after the February acquittals of Gerald Stanley and Raymond Cormier in the Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine murder trials. Camp founders said the intention was to draw attention to Indigenous lives lost or affected due to factors like violence, foster care or addiction.
