Yukon celebrates Indigenous Day

Performances during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in Whitehorse in 2022. (Courtesy/Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre)Performances during the Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in Whitehorse in 2022. (Courtesy/Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre)
A drummer leads the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers into the main performance tent at Indigenous Peoples Day at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on June 21, 2022. The day included a full roster of performances, an artist market and food trucks. (Yukon News file)A drummer leads the Dakhká Khwáan Dancers into the main performance tent at Indigenous Peoples Day at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on June 21, 2022. The day included a full roster of performances, an artist market and food trucks. (Yukon News file)
Two first-time visitors to the Yukon dance on stage with the Kwanlin Daghaalhaan K’e Dancers during National Indigenous Peoples Day in Whitehorse on June 21, 2018. (Yukon News file)Two first-time visitors to the Yukon dance on stage with the Kwanlin Daghaalhaan K’e Dancers during National Indigenous Peoples Day in Whitehorse on June 21, 2018. (Yukon News file)

The Yukon will play host to hundreds of people from across the territory who will be attending a slate of activities scheduled to mark the National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations.

Held annually on June 21, Canada-wide events recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures, and outstanding achievements of the Aboriginal people across the country.

Everyone is invited to attend the celebrations, which will feature live music, artist demonstrations, traditional food, fairs, special ceremonies and other events.

Celebrations will take place in different locations throughout the territory, including at the Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre in Teslin, the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (KDCC) in Whitehorse, the Da Kų “Our House” Cultural Centre in Haines Junction, Carcross Commons in Carcross and the Dänoja Zho Cultural Centre in Dawson City. In Mayo and Carmacks, locations for the day’s events vary annually.

Kailen Gingell, cultural director at the KDCC, said the centre has been working on plans for the day for about two months now.

“It’s going to be a pretty big day for everyone involved,” he said, adding that the centre has organized the Indigenous Day event since 2012. However, during the pandemic, the event was held online.

All activities will be happening at the cultural centre near the Yukon River, with Gingell noting this year’s event is unique because it is returning to the main stage in the longhouse, and there won’t be big tents outside as there have been in recent years.

The opening ceremony at the KDCC will start at 10 a.m. Some of the activities for the day include performances by the Daghaalhaan K’e dancers and Jeremy Dutcher, a performer and composer from the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick.

There will also be an artist market, aboriginal sports and an elder’s lounge, which will provide space for a film, and an opportunity for elders to share stories and teachings.

Gingell said there is also a partnership with Yukon Public Libraries to do some children’s programming as part of the day’s events.

Contact Patrick Egwu at patrick.egwu@yukon-news.com

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