The Native Indigenous Peoples Celebration kicks off today and all visitors are welcome for the free four day event, happening at Participark.

The Indigenous Celebration is a free, family-friendly event that runs from Monday June 18th until Thursday, June 21st. Attendees can look forward to traditional Indigenous games, teachings, drumming, singing, dancing, and much more.

The four day Celebration is happening at a critical time this year in Timmins. The Celebrations coincide with a visit from the Ontario Human Rights Commissioner, Renu Mandhane. Mandhane was in Timmins in March and issued a critical report on racism towards Indigenous people in Timmins.

Heather Murray, who works at the Timmins Native Friendship Centre and is Treasurer of the Timmins Indigenous Organizations Committee, says the Committee decided to make this a four-day event so as to better teach visitors about the background of Indigenous practices and traditions.

“We felt it was important, you know, with the Human Rights Commissioner coming, […] that a lot of people may not understand and really know about traditions and Indigenous culture,” she said. “So, in meeting with the Mayor and several other organizations and First Nations, we decided that we were going to do a four day event that would allow us to have teachings and ceremonies […] so Western societies understand why we do what we do.”

Murray says this four day event is a great opportunity to teach Timmins residents about Indigenous traditions, so they may better understand the culture and reasoning behind certain practices.

“My thinking, when we discussed it and I thought to myself, ‘This would be a great opportunity to give that information to everybody,'” Murray said. “It’s not just, ‘a tipi’s a tipi.’ You know, there’s a reason, it’s a ceremony. Everything we do is for a reason.”

There are lots of traditional games and activities planned for kids and families to learn and have fun at the event, including tattoos, face painting, bracelet making, and even moose/goose calling competitions.

Having lived here since 2004, Murray says she’s no stranger to the issue of racism in Timmins, making this celebration of Indigenous traditions and teachings even more relevant.

“I’ve felt the racism in this community,” she said. “But if people aren’t accepting and understanding, then how are we ever going to get along, right? And, like, we’re on earth together; we need to do good things and be accepting of one another.”

The OHRC is back in Timmins until June 20th, meeting with civic and Indigenous leaders on Monday to discuss how to best advance reconciliation and better protect the human rights of First Nations, Metis and Indigenous peoples who live in and around Timmins.

On Tuesday, June 19th, the OHRC, along with the City of Timmins, is hosting Taking it Local: an Update on Human Rights. This is a free one-day event featuring sessions on human rights topics, guests from the City of Timmins and local community leaders.

The OHRC will be hosting free education sessions on Wednesday, June 20th, on the accommodation of Indigenous spiritual practices.

On Thursday, June 21st, National Indigenous Peoples Day, there will be lots of activities going on at Participark to celebrate Indigenous culture. Things get started early; at 5:30 AM on Thursday, you can witness the Sunrise Ceremony and Sacred Fire. Then at 11 AM there will be a flag raising at City Hall, followed by a Unity Walk to Participark.

“It’s unity, it’s not a separation,” said Murray of the events happening this week. “It’s trying to bring people together, no matter what race or what culture.”

Everything kicks off in Participark on Monday, June 18th. The grounds are open to visitors from 11 AM to 7 PM until Wednesday. Then on Thursday, the park will be open for activities, inflatables, traditional teachings and much more from 12 PM until 5 PM.

For more details on activities and events for the four-day event, head to TimminsToday.com.