Aboriginal Day is back in St. Albert this week and thanks to the Métis, it’s bigger than ever.
June 21 is National Aboriginal Day in Canada. Communities across the nation will hold events this week in celebration of First Nations, Métis and Inuit culture in Canada.
St. Albert’s free celebration will be in Lions Park on Sunday, said Gwen Crouse, president of the St. Albert National Aboriginal Day Celebration Society. Elders, veterans, dancers and honoured guests, including provincial Aboriginal Relations Minister Robin Campbell, will parade into the park at noon to kick off the party.
Guests will get to snack on bannock, play traditional aboriginal games like Run and Scream, and see demonstrations of hoop dancing, throat singing and Métis jigging.
And if four hours of that isn’t enough, the party continues at 4 p.m. with a music jamboree by the Métis Child and Family Services Society, also in Lions Park.
The society would normally hold this event at the Alberta Legislature on June 17 but decided to just hold it in St. Albert since it was already heavily involved in the St. Albert festival, said Don Langford, the group’s executive director.
“I think we’re getting a little old and tired,” he joked, so this year they were looking for ways to cut back.
The jamboree will have a great line-up of local talent, Langford said, including singers Jess Lee, Joyce Smith and David Langdoc. Also there will be numerous fiddlers and dancers. The jamboree and the festival wrap up at 7 p.m.
Events like Aboriginal Day are often the only time of year where aboriginals are recognized in a good way, Langford said.
“It seems we’re always struggling for inclusion and certainly consideration in the areas of education, housing and entertainment,” he said.
Métis culture is fun, Langford said, and he wanted to share that fun with St. Albert.
“We just want to have a good time, and let the people of St. Albert join in with us.”
The party starts at 12 p.m. Sunday. Residents should bring their own lawn chairs. For details, call event co-ordinator Theresa Majeran at 780-977-5515.
