National Indigenous Peoples Day important but learning should be year-round, says advocate

Hundreds of Toronto students got a chance to learn about Indigenous peoples on Thursday after a major sports venue downtown was turned into a large interactive classroom for the day — but organizers say the learning needs to happen year-round. 

The event, held a day after the official National Indigenous Peoples Day, included 20 interactive learning stations about Indigenous history, languages and cultures, a concert by the Strong Water Singers, dancing by Classic Roots and a musical performance by G. R. Gritt.

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, Scotiabank and MLSE hosted the students and teachers at Scotiabank Arena, according to Sarah Midanik, president and CEO of the fund.

"It's amazing that we can celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day. But this work needs to continue 364 other days a year. That learning starts in the classroom, the home and the community. And each and every student becomes a champion for reconciliation," Midanik said.

Midanik said the event, which she described as a "really cool learning opportunity," drew students from schools across Toronto that are part of the fund's legacy schools program. The program creates learning opportunities for students to learn more about Indigenous culture and history, she said.

The event featured lessons in Indigenous singing, drumming and dancing. There was information about Indigenous excellence in sports as well as mentors and role models on hand to talk to students. And there were opportunities for students to learn about reconciliation.

Mike Downie, a member of the Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund, said the event was intended to inform educators as well as students. Downie is the older brother of the late Tragically Hip singer Gord Downie.

"The students are going to have some fun, but they are also going to learn about the true history of Canada," Downie said.

Padma Cherukuri, a Grade 11 student from Peel Region, said there was lots to learn at the event. The 16-year-old said she was happy to be there.

"I'm so excited," she said.

National Indigenous Peoples Day, which falls on the same day as the summer solstice, was first recognized in 1996 by the governor general as a way to celebrate the culture and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.

The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund says it aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Its goal is to improve the lives of Indigenous people by building awareness, education, and connections between all peoples in Canada.

Wenjack was an Ojibway youth who left Kenora's Cecillia Jeffrey Indian Residential School on Oct. 16, 1966, intending to return to his home at Ogoki Post, about 600 kilometres away. His body was found six days later along the CN mainline, near Farlane, Ont. He was 12 years old when he died.

Wenjack's death was determined to be the result of hunger and exposure. His story would later inspire the album The Secret Path by Gord Downie, which was released in 2016, the same year that the fund was founded.