Celebrating Indigenous culture and heritage

In 1996, the governor general of Canada proclaimed 21 June as the official day to celebrate Indigenous culture and heritage, following calls from the National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) in 1982, the Sacred Assembly in 1995, and the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples in 1995.[1] This is a day for Indigenous people and communities to celebrate Indigenous culture and heritage. It aligns with the summer solstice, which holds significance for Indigenous communities across Canada as a time of celebration, gathering, and harvesting. Non-Indigenous people are encouraged to participate in public events, support Indigenous businesses, and build their own cultural awareness and humility.

National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrates three distinct groups: First Nations (both status and nonstatus), Métis, and Inuit. Indigenous is used as an umbrella term for these three groups, which have distinct histories, cultures, and spiritual beliefs.[2] First Nations replaced the term Indian, which is still the legal term for someone registered under the Indian Act and having distinct rights associated with their Nation(s) of origin. Métis people are descendants of distinct communities that developed from the union between First Nations people and Europeans after contact. They developed their own unique language and cultural practices, and Métis people are descendants of these distinct communities. The Inuit are from the Arctic regions of Canada, the US, and Russia (Siberia). They also have a distinct culture and language that have connected them to and allowed them to thrive on their lands, which have some of the harshest conditions on Earth.

In recent years, the importance of understanding who Indigenous people are and who has the right to claim Indigenous heritage has become more important, due to several individuals who have claimed to be Indigenous when they were not. The slang term for people who falsely claim Indigenous heritage is pretendian. Mainstream media have picked up many stories of high-profile individuals who falsely claimed to be Indigenous, allowing them to benefit financially, academically, and professionally.[3] Due to Indigenous people being underserved and oppressed for generations, there are many programs and services across the health care, education, and social sectors designed to help reduce barriers for them. Pretendians occupy positions and take resources intended for Indigenous people, which is fraudulent and unethical. Another harm comes from increased mistrust and division among Indigenous people. The increased vigilance to validate people’s identity can also cause harm, especially for those who have lost connection due to colonial harms like the Sixties Scoop.

Pretendians threaten Indigenous legitimacy and impose barriers for those reclaiming what was lost. Colonization resulted in a large percentage of Indigenous people dying, with those who remained being forced to relocate from their traditional lands, children being removed from their families, and our culture being outlawed. For many decades, Indigenous people hid their identities to avoid the racism and persecution that were common at that time.

These practices have led to generations of our people being disconnected from who they are as Indigenous people. To compound the issue, the Indian Act is an assimilation policy.[4] It was created to “manage the Indian problem” until there were none left. First Nations people have fought to address many of the systemic biases and sexism built into the Indian Act. Bill C-31 (1985) and Bill C-3 (2011) tried to address the gender discrimination and practices of disenfranchisement due to marriage, for example;[5] however, they also introduced the second-generation cut-off. This meant that when one person entitled to be registered parented with someone not entitled to be registered, the third generation was not entitled to registration. In her book Becoming Kin, Patty Krawec reviews in detail how colonial policies and laws like the Indian Act are designed to erase Indigenous people because of our inherent rights to what is now known as North America.[6] Our existence is an inconvenience and a threat.[7]

British Columbia has the most First Nations diversity in Canada, with 206 distinct communities, 36 distinct languages, and many more dialects.[8] The 21st of June is a time to celebrate the incredible diversity in BC and across Canada. Developing an understanding of the distinction between the various groups, their beliefs and practices, and their unique rights is an important step in developing cultural awareness and humility.
—Terri Aldred, MD

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References

1.    Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada. Indigenous Peoples and communities. Modified 13 June 2024. Accessed 3 April 2025. www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013785/1529102490303.

2.    University of British Columbia First Nations and Indigenous Studies. Terminology. Indigenous Foundations. Accessed 3 April 2025. https://indigenousfoundations.arts.ubc.ca/terminology/.

3.    Indigenous Corporate Training Inc. Pretendians and the Indian Act. 3 April 2024. Accessed 3 April 2025. www.ictinc.ca/blog/pretendians-and-the-indian-act.

4.    Joseph B. 21 things you may not know about the Indian Act: Helping Canadians make reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a reality. Saanichton, BC: Indigenous Relations Press; 2018.

5.    Assembly of First Nations. What is Bill C-31 and Bill C-3? 2019. Accessed 3 April 2025. www.afn.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/16-19-02-06-AFN-Fact-Sheet-Bill-C-31-Bill-C-3-final-revised.pdf.

6.    Krawec P. Becoming kin: An Indigenous call to unforgetting the past and reimagining our future. Minneapolis, MN: Broadleaf Books; 2022.

7.    King T. The inconvenient Indian: A curious account of Native people in North America. Toronto, ON: Anchor Canada; 2013.

8.    Dunlop B, Gessner S, Herbert T, Parker A. Report on the status of BC First Nations languages. Third edition. Brentwood Bay, BC: First People’s Cultural Council, 2018. Accessed 3 April 2025. https://fpcc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/FPCC-LanguageReport-180716-WEB.pdf.