SFU’s second annual Indigenous Day was celebrated on September 24 by Aboriginal peoples from all over BC in a day filled with music, food, and culture.
The event was organized by the First Nations Student Association (FSNA), which began planning in May, and was sponsored by the FNSA, the Office for Aboriginal People, CJSF 90.1 FM, and the SFSS.
FNSA Treasurer and event organizer Laura Forsythe explained how the event almost didn’t go ahead: “Unfortunately, [the] SFSS had decided that they also wanted to have their kickoff party the day after our event, which almost ended the annual indigenous day.”
However, after negotiations the event went ahead as planned, and featured a six-hour program accompanied by 44 vendors selling items ranging from clothing and jewellery to salmon and artwork.
A highlight of the day was the 14 different performing groups from all over Canada, including hip-hop artists and dancing groups who performed in front a 32 foot longhouse set, specially constructed in Convocation Mall for the event.
Significant effort was made to engage educational institutions in the day’s festivities. Seven school districts and three universities and colleges were in attendance. In the morning a catcher workshop taught nearly 600 students and others how to make dreamcatchers.
Forsythe commended the fact that the day grew from last year, which saw 2,000 individuals in attendance. “We had twice as many vendors, we had two additional hours for the performers, and we had numerous schools [in attendance],” said Forsythe.
Planning of the event began through the FNSA Indigenous Day committee, composed of 15 students, including Forsythe herself. “We basically put together contacts and put a call out to the indigenous community and said, ‘This is something we want to do here on campus. Do you want to be [a] part of it?’” said Forsythe.
Special attention was paid to respecting indigenous culture. Forsythe noted that the planning committee in addition to all the performers and vendors were indigenous. She added, “We respected our own culture, by simply being ourselves and being proud of our culture.”
Forsythe remarked, “Four years ago, when I joined this university in 2011, we didn’t have this type of event. We had one teepee and one elder in the AQ for the afternoon and we sat there.” She further acknowledged that while a lot of work still needs to be done, “there has been a lot of work to reconcile and to be more respectful of the indigenous community here on campus.”
Forsythe succinctly broke down what the day’s celebrations added to the SFU community.
Said Forsythe, “for the non-indigenous community I think it gives them the opportunity to have a glimpse of [. . .] the diversity that there is in the indigenous community especially when you’re having Cree, and Mohawk, and Tlingit, and Kwakwaka’wakw performers and vendors.”
She elaborated on what this event did for SFU’s indigenous community: “It allows us to share our culture, but also to have pride in our culture and express that we’re still here and very much alive and very much thriving.”
