National Indigenous Peoples Day takes place on June 21st of every year. It began in 1996 and was originally called National Aboriginal Day. The day commemorates and honours First Nations, Inuit, and Métis People’s cultures, histories, and contributions to Canada. June 21st was chosen because it is the longest day of the year and has long been celebrated by Indigenous Peoples.
This day is an opportunity to recognize the historic contributions of Indigenous Peoples to the development of Canada. There are many ways to celebrate the day but as June is also National Indigenous History Month there is an opportunity to learn about Indigenous history and to deepen our understanding of Indigenous people and their role in the present-day and future of Canada all month long.
Read about the Indigenous artists listed below and click the link to listen to their song.
MONDAY: Band- The Jerry Cans Song- Northern Lights
The Jerry Cans create music inspired by their hometown of Iqaluit, Nunavut. With their unique mix of indie rock and throat singing, The Jerry Cans are a distinctly northern, one-of-a-kind group. The band perform many of their songs in Inuktitut and are passionate about preserving the language even as the north and their home community of Iqaluit evolve. They are committed to representing northerners and to challenging common misperceptions they have encountered about life in the Arctic; their music evokes the contemporary north and the spirited people that reside there.
TUESDAY: Singer-Buffy Sainte-Marie Song- You Got to Run (Spirit of the Wind)
Buffy Sainte-Maire was born as Beverly Sainte-Marie on Feb. 20, 1941, on the Piapot Cree Indigenous reserve in the Qu’Appelle Valley, Saskatchewan. Sainte-Marie’s fearless social commentary and advocating for Indigenous issues, both in her songs and in her life, have earned her many devoted fans and the respect of her musical peers.
WEDSNESDAY: Band-Mob Bounce Song-Keys to The Forest
Mob Bounce is a band formed by Craig Frank Edes aka The Northwest Kid (Gitxsan) and Travis Hebert aka EarthChild (Cree/Metis). They grew up in Northern BC and bonded over their love of hip hop. Mob Bounce is Indigenous influenced hip hop with a fuse of EDM (Electronic Dance Music), with traditional and contemporary aspects. Both Travis and Craig’s gripping lyricism delve into spirituality, social awareness/justice, and a connection to Mother Earth.
THURSDAY: Singer- Kelly Fraser Song-Sedna
Fraser was an acclaimed singer-songwriter who blended English and Inuktitut in her pop and hip hop-inspired songs. She was born in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, and launched her singing career in 2013 with an Inuktitut-language version of Rihanna’s Diamonds, followed by her debut album Isuma the next year. She received the Indspire Award in 2019 for using her music and her own personal struggles to strengthen and promote Inuit culture and language, particularly among young Indigenous people in Canada.
FRIDAY: Band-A Tribe Called Red Song-Stadium Pow Wow
Embracing it’s members’ Indigenous roots, the group’s hard-to-characterize but innovative music blends hip-hop, dancehall and underground club music with First Nations vocal chanting and drumming. The unique mix has been described as “powwow-step”. A Tribe Called Red has received multiple Indigenous People’s Choice Music Awards and won best music video at the Native American Music Awards in the US. In 2014, they won a Juno for Breakthrough Group of the Year and was nominated for Electronic Album of the Year.
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