On Friday, June 20, Royal Roads University hoisted its seventh annual celebration to honour National Indigenous Peoples Day.

The event began in the morning with the Lekwungen Traditional Dancers and Singers performance at the Shore Stage, and the shows, activities and events continued throughout the day.

The venue at Royal Roads was packed with people of all ages, all assembled to honour the rich and diverse Indigenous cultures within British Columbia and beyond.

B次元官网网址淲e have the largest number of distinct Indigenous cultures right here in B.C. and this is a great opportunity for people to meet representatives of those cultures in the form of people who actually live and work with Indigenous communities,B次元官网网址� said Leslie McGarry, the CRD partner in the dayB次元官网网址檚 celebration.

B次元官网网址淭his is the seventh year for the celebration here at Royal Roads and, every year, we get more than 4,000 people attending. It seems to be growing every year.B次元官网网址�

McGarry said that the celebration is a perfect opportunity to learn about the diversity of Indigenous cultures with activities like the guided forest walk-through, where participants can learn about the forest through an indigenous lens.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檒l be looking at the forest the way the Indigenous cultures have traditionally done,B次元官网网址� said McGarry. "The forest was used for medicine, and a host of other practical applications.B次元官网网址�

Given the educational aspects of the dayB次元官网网址檚 activities, it was only fitting that a significant number of school children attended the celebrations.

B次元官网网址淲e have children here from as far away as Nanaimo,B次元官网网址� said McGarry. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a great opportunity to help educate and inform students about this important part of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 culture. But thereB次元官网网址檚 also a lot of fun, activities, food and celebration. This is a lot of fun for everyone.B次元官网网址�

Jo-ina Young, a Metis elder for SD62 and another long-time volunteer at the celebration agreed.

B次元官网网址淭he greatest thing is that the school kids get to experience the Indigenous cultures here in nature,B次元官网网址� said Young.

Her group had set up a traditional circle of tee-pees at the site, and although her display drew upon the culture of the plains Indigenous cultures, it helped to demonstrate the similarities in the respect that indigenous people have always shown toward nature.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e set this up like it would have been for the buffalo hunts. The people would hunt the buffalo, but they used every part of what they hunted for clothes, food, medicine, shelter B次元官网网址� nothing was ever wasted,B次元官网网址� she said.

As the morning progressed, a welcoming ceremony took place that marked a traditional canoe landing protocol practice follows, led byB次元官网网址痩蓹k虛史蓹艐蓹n Elder Butch Dick, joined by guests and family members from theB次元官网网址痩蓹k虛史蓹艐蓹n speaking peoples, the Songhees and X史seps蓹m Nations. At noon, the official main stage opened with singers and dancers, followed by stage performances throughout the day.

There were also childrenB次元官网网址檚 field games, crafts, storytelling and songs, a frybread station and a host of food options.

Overall, it was a day that both honoured the Indigenous peopleB次元官网网址檚 resilience and the preservation of their cultures, while celebrating the significant contributions that Indigenous communities have made to art, music, language and traditional knowledge.