Ways to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day in Waterloo region and area

Wednesday is National Indigenous Peoples Day and there are a number of events planned locally for people to recognize it.

All the events below are on Wednesday.

Sunrise Ceremony

5:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.

McDougall Cottage, 89 Grand Ave. S., Cambridge

Wednesday is also the summer solstice and this event will be led by Indigenous elder Lana Brasher to pay respects to all of creation on the longest day of the year.

This ceremony will lead people through the ceremony. Those who attend are asked to bring tobacco to make an offering to the sacred fire. There will also be a light breakfast after the ceremony.

The event is in partnership with Crow Shield Lodge.Registration is required.

• Waterloo Region Museum event page

At First Light

5:59 a.m.

TheMuseum, downtown Kitchener

Haudenosaunee community member Kelly Fran Davis will lead this ceremony with fire keeper Al McDonald. The ceremony will feature Haudenosaunee teachings and a tobacco offering. After the ceremony, there will be singing and dancing.

It is a free event but people are asked to register.

• TheMuseum's event page

Indigenous mural

All day

Waterloo Public Square

Each year, the City of Waterloo partners with a localIndigenous artist to install an original art piece on the surface of the public square.

"These artworks serve as a visual reminder of the territory and land on which the city was founded," the city says on its website.

• City of Waterloo events page

Crow Shield Lodge open house

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

10 Huron Rd., Kitchener

People can visit Crow Shield Lodge to learn about the work that takes place at the site and how the public can be involved.

• Waterloo Region Museum event page

ReadCBC K-W's story about how Crow Shield Lodge got its start in Waterloo region.

Indigenous Peoples Day event

12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Schneider Haus, 466 Queen St. S., Kitchener

This event will feature Scott Norton and the Cedarhill Singers and Dancers. Norton will talk aboutthe Sixties Scoop, time in care and cultural sensitivity. Paid admission required.

• Waterloo Region Museum event page

Teepee unveiling

4 p.m. start

Falstaff Family Centre, 35 Waterloo St. N., Stratford

Perth County resident Christin Dennis, a member of the Aamjiwnaang Chippewas of Sarnia First Nation, is a visual artist who has helped develop a 5.5 metre teepee at the centre. There will be an open house Wednesday with horses from the Aspens Ojibwe Horse Sanctuary. There will also be a medicine wheel garden talk, a pop-up store and a sacred fire. Students and educators are permitted on site earlier in the afternoon.

Celebration of First Nations, Inuit and Mtis Peoples event

5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Riverside Park, north end at thebandshell, Guelph

This event will feature music, dancing, drumming and stories. Indigenous food and craft vendors will also be at the site.

• City of Guelph event page

Public virtual workshop: Hodinohsho:ni Governance

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Hosted by Woodland Cultural Centre

This workshop will go over the Hodinohsho:ni system of governance, use of wampum, the Royal Proclamation, the Haldimand Proclamation, the Indian Act and how these conflicted with the traditional Hodinohsho:ni Governance structure.

A donation is requested. Registration is required.

• Woodland Cultural Centre event page

Indigenous History Month film screening: Slash/Back

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Kitchener Public Library, central branch

This film is the 2022 debut from Iqaluit-raised director Nyla Innuksuk and tells the story of a girl gang in Pangnirtung, Nunavut that fights off a supernatural apocalypse.

• KPL event page

CBC programs

• Join CBC K-W's The Morning Edition starting at 5:57 a.m. for local National Indigenous Peoples Day stories.
• On CBC Gem, there will be a new half-hour documentary from CBC Indigenous called Time To Eat, looking at how food connects people to their communities and ancestors.
• CBC Music will have a full day of radio programming highlighting Indigenous artists, songwriters and composers.
• CBC News Network will have coverage of events across the country throughout the day.
• CBC Kids will offer special programming Wednesday morning on CBC TV.

Did we miss an event? Email us to let us know more.