Every year, RRC Polytech has recognized National Indigenous Peoples Day with an in-house event: a gathering which takes place in the Indigenous Support Centre, with the Elder-in-Residence hosting a pipe ceremony, teachings and storytelling, and breaking bread with a feast for the College community. Our celebration recognizes both National Indigenous Peoples Day and the summer solstice. This year, the School of Indigenous Education and the Indigenous Students Support Team came up with an exciting new approach: a bus tour to participate in various Indigenous events in and around Winnipeg.

National Indigenous Peoples Day is an opportunity for Anishinaabe, Ininiwak, Anishininew, Dakota, Dené, Métis and many other Indigenous peoples to celebrate and connect with their cultures, and is an invitation for the wider community to participate in the celebration together.

The response from the College community was so strong that the 29-seat bus filled up quickly with an additional waitlist of at least 10 people. The team decided to book an additional bus to accommodate the waitlist and invited a few more participants. Many RRC Polytech community members took the opportunity to experience their first National Indigenous Peoples Day at the wonderful events hosted in Manitoba.

The first stop on the bus tour was at Selkirk Park for the Manitoba Métis Federation’s National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration. Participants enjoyed a free pancake breakfast and explored the many booths presented by the Manitoba Métis Federation and their partners, including the Infinity Women Secretariat where they offered to paint attendees’ faces. One tent hosted a workshop where participants learned how to weave sashes.

For the afternoon, the bus shuttled participants through downtown Winnipeg to The Forks for the Wa-Say Healing Centre’s National Indigenous Peoples Day Pow Wow in the Parks Canada Field. Vendors and artists gathered around the park while singers and drum groups clustered around the main stage for their performances. Dancers in regalia and dancers in everyday attire assembled in the circle for Inter-Tribal songs and dance categories.

Close to 4pm, Pow Wow participants joined together for the Friendship Dance, holding hands and rotating around the circle in a demonstration of inclusion and relationality. Free hotdogs, drinks and ice cream were offered throughout the day courtesy of the Southern Chiefs Council, and live music performances extended well into the evening.

Terri-Lynn Anderson, the Events & Facilities Rental Coordinator for the School of Indigenous Education, said the bus tour was an incredible success and she looks forward to hosting more bus tours in the future to offer staff and student more opportunities to explore and engage with the Indigenous community.

“The quiet summer months made me want to venture out into the community to see all the wonderful events that were taking place to celebrate our people and culture. The bus tour was a great way to experience that, especially with the few folks that were experiencing their first National Indigenous Peoples Day ever,” said Anderson.

In addition to the bus tour for Indigenous Peoples Day, RRC Polytech released the new virtual tour of Manitou a bi Bii daziigae to demonstrate the flexibility of the new building and its deep connection to Indigenous art, culture, and entrepreneurship.

Thank you to all who participated in this year’s National Indigenous Peoples Day Bus Tour, and we look forward to next year’s celebration. Miigwech!