Indigenous Peoples Day
Jun 21, 2023
Every June 21, Canadians come together to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day, an opportunity to honour the rich cultures and contributions of Canada’s First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.
CMHA Thames Valley Addiction and Mental Health Services operates on land that is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabek (39 Indigenous Nations), Haudenosaunee (6 Iroquois Nations), Wendat (Huron Nation), Attawandaron (Neutral Nation), and the Lenni Lenape (Delaware Nation).
We encourage our community to take time today to learn about and honour Indigenous cultures, both locally and nationally. We encourage everyone to check out these free learning opportunities:
Indigenous Awareness | BCIT
Registration required (can take one to two days to access course after registering).
This course promotes an increased understanding of Indigenous people and their place and space in Canada, past and present. Words like Reconciliation and Indigenization are becoming common place and are often followed by questions such as, “What do these words mean? Why do we have to do this? How come I didn’t know about Residential Schools?”. The course will provide you with foundational knowledge of Indigenous people in the hopes that as the true history and contemporary reality of Indigenous people is more broadly known, Reconciliation can begin.
Indigenous Canada | Coursera
Indigenous Canada is a 12-lesson Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) from the Faculty of Native Studies that explores the different histories and contemporary perspectives of Indigenous peoples living in Canada. From an Indigenous perspective, this course explores complex experiences Indigenous peoples face today from a historical and critical perspective highlighting national and local Indigenous-settler relations. Topics for the 12 lessons include the fur trade and other exchange relationships, land claims and environmental impacts, legal systems and rights, political conflicts and alliances, Indigenous political activism, and contemporary Indigenous life, art and its expressions.
There are many ways you can also celebrate the culture and contributions of Indigenous peoples today and beyond, including:
- Explore learning resources about First Nations, Inuit and Métis across Canada
- Download and share National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day images to show your support.
- Check out the #IndigenousReads reading list, compiled by Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
- Join the conversation on social media with the hashtag #NIPD2023