Indigenous Peoples Day Events on ‘Vancouver Island’
IndigiNews has compiled a list of “Vancouver Island” events for you to join in celebrating and learning about the culture and peoples of the homelands you’re living in, for National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21.
Snuneymuxw Homelands
Where: Maffeo Sutton Park, 100 Comox Road, Snuneymuxw Homelands, “Nanaimo”
When: Tuesday, June 21, 5pm-8pm
Cost: Free
The Mid Island Metis Association is hosting an evening of activities and learning. From 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. there will be Indigenous games in the field, including opportunities to climb with Metis climbing group, Wild and Climb, who will be bringing a portable bouldering wall to the park. The evening also includes music performances by Footprints of the Wolf, the MIMN Fiddle Group, Summer Sage, and Ed Peekeekoot. There will even be Jigging lessons for people of all ages, and a teepee to explore.
Stz’uminus Homelands
Where: Transfer Beach Park, Stz’uminus Homelands, “Ladysmith”
When: Tuesday, June 21, 10am-3pm
Cost: Free
Stz’uminus First Nation is hosting an event full of culture, dancing and learning. Starting at Transfer Beach at 10 a.m. there will be performances by the Tzinquaw Dancers, Nate Harris, and the Young Wolves Dance Group. There will also be arts, crafts, food, a bouncy castle and Knowledge Keepers and Holders, and vendors to explore and learn from.
Cowichan Tribes Homelands
Where: Si’em Lelum Soccer Fields, 5574 River Rd., “Duncan”
When: Tuesday, June 21, 11am-3pm
Cost: Free
In Cowichan, join the community for activities including Cedar Rose making, drumming for medicine, painting paddles and canvases, making a drumstick and more. There will also be opportunities to learn the language of the Cowichan peoples, Hul’qumi’num.
Lək̓ʷəŋən Homelands – Royal Roads University
Where: Royal Roads University, “Victoria”
When: Tuesday, June 21, 10am-3pm
Cost: Free
On lək̓ʷəŋən homelands, head to Royal Roads University for an action-packed morning, starting with a canoe landing following protocol and welcoming ceremony on the shore of the Esquimalt Lagoon, led by lək̓ʷəŋən (Songhees) Nation Elder Butch Dick and Elder Elmer George.
The day will also feature performances by lək̓ʷəŋən drummers, singers and dancers from ANSWER2 Drum Group. Other activities include Jigging, canoe challenges, field games for children, a frybread station, interactive Metis showcase, storytelling and more.
Author
We live in a media ecosystem that thrives on misinformation. Big Tech and AI companies are consuming the work of real human beings and Canadian news has been banned on Facebook and Instagram.
And yet, I have hope for journalism because of the work we’re doing at IndigiNews.
At IndigiNews, we embody tâpwêwin — the Cree value of integrity and responsibility in truth-telling. We are committed to our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom rooted in community, accountability, and relationality. We believe storytelling is a sacred fire that connects our pasts, presents, and futures through the storytellers in our Storytelling Lodge. IndigiNews creates space for Indigenous journalists, storytellers, Knowledge Keepers, and communities to gather, learn, and share stories that matter.
As a registered charity, we are building a fire that allows our work not just to ignite but to thrive. Rather than relying on advertising or corporate acquisition, IndigiNews is sustained by people like you who believe Indigenous stories are important for the future of our communities.
Your support is making a real difference.
Our community of supporters, our Firekeepers, make it possible to grow our newsroom, publish award-winning journalism, train emerging Indigenous journalists through initiatives like the ReFocus Photojournalism Fellowship, and publish trustworthy stories that serve our communities across the country. Every story we publish helps fill in gaps left by mainstream media and ensures Indigenous perspectives are represented with care, accuracy and respect.
But there is still more work to do.
As the media landscape becomes more and more uncertain, community support is as necessary and essential as it’s ever been. Every new Firekeeper helps protect the independence of our newsroom and strengthens journalism that is accountable to our many and varied communities over corporations.
That’s why we’re inviting you to become a Firekeeper.
Firekeepers tend to and protect the sacred fire. Your monthly contributions directly support IndigiNews’s Storytelling Lodge, helps sustain our independent, Indigenous-led newsroom, and ensures future generations of Indigenous storytellers have the resources they need to do the work.
As a registered Canadian charity, all eligible donations receive a charitable tax receipt.
If you believe Indigenous stories matter, if you value independent journalism, and if you want to help build a strong future for Indigenous media, we invite you to join our circle of Firekeepers today.
Together, we can keep the fire burning.
— Eden Fineday, Publisher, IndigiNews
Support us nowLatest Stories
-
‘Newfoundland’ claims Europeans arrived before the Innu. ‘People don’t disappear,’ counters archeologist
Smithsonian archeologist Stephen Loring’s research is being disputed by the province’s own Archeology Office. He fears the government’s censorship of Innu history is being used ‘to promote a political agenda like land claims’
-
Winnipeg cops unveil ‘reconciliation’ cruiser — but critics are unimpressed
Force says the police car emblazoned with Indigenous art not for enforcement but education. Advocates say the gesture is ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘unsettling’ — especially amidst a drug-use crackdown they say targets Indigenous people
