opâskahopîsim-June

June The egg hatching moon or month

ᐅᐹᐢᑲᐦᐅᐲᓯᒼ

(Online Cree Dictionary)

I will be busy this month attending local events, ceremonies, and hosting PD sessions in honor of Indigenous Awareness month! I hope you are able to commit to do so as well!

I remember summer times with my Kokum were spent gathering berries, pounding choke cherries with large rocks, plucking ducks, spending time with family, camping, and attending the Lac St Anne Pilgrimage in July. Summer is my favorite season!

I would just like to share some information about why June is significant!

June National Indigenous Awareness Month

June is National Indigenous History Month. It is a time for all Canadians (Indigenous, non-Indigenous and newcomers) to reflect upon and learn the history, sacrifices, cultures, contributions, and strength of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people. Here’s the timeline on how Indigenous History Month came to be:

1982: The National Indian Brotherhood (now known as the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of a National Aboriginal Solidarity Day on June 21.

1990: The Quebec legislature recognized June 21 as a day to celebrate Aboriginal* culture

1995: The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended a day be designated as National First Peoples Day. The Sacred Assembly, a national conference of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people chaired by the late Elijah Harper, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada.

1996: Governor General Romeo LeBlanc proclaimed that National Aboriginal Day would be celebrated June 21 each year. “On June 21st, this year and every year, Canada will honour the native peoples who first brought humanity to this great land,” said Leblanc. “And may the first peoples of our past always be full and proud partners in our future.”

2008: Prime Minister Harper offered the full apology on behalf of Canadians for the Indian Residential Schools system.

2009: By unanimous motion in Canada’s House of Commons, the month of June was declared National Aboriginal History Month.

2017: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans to change the name to National Indigenous History Month, reflecting a national and international preference for the term Indigenous, rather than Aboriginal.

June 20 -25, 2022 Aboriginal Awareness Week in Calgary

AAWC was founded in the early 1990’s (while not officially titled so at the time) to raise cultural awareness within the City of Calgary and to celebrate contemporary achievements of Indigenous people in Canada. The AAWC encourages agencies within Calgary to organize and develop their own events during the week of June 21st. Please see their website for events and volunteer activites!

June 21 is National Indigenous Awareness Day – The Summer Solstice

This is a day for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Canadian Constitution recognizes these three groups as Aboriginal peoples, also known as Indigenous peoples.

National Aboriginal Day (now National Indigenous Peoples Day) was announced in 1996 by then Governor General of Canada, Roméo LeBlanc, through the Proclamation Declaring June 21 of Each Year as National Aboriginal Day. This was the result of consultations and statements of support for such a day made by various Indigenous groups:

in 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for the creation of National Aboriginal Solidarity Day

in 1995, the Sacred Assembly, a national conference of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people chaired by Elijah Harper, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous Peoples

also in 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended the designation of a National First Peoples Day

On June 21, 2017, the Prime Minister issued a statement announcing the intention to rename this day National Indigenous Peoples Day.