(Photo credit: CFJC Today).

By Stephanie Swensrude

NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY

Celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day at the Tk’emlups Powwow Arbour

Jun 21, 2022 | 3:41 PM

TK’EMLUPS TE SECWEPEMC — June 21 is National Indigenous Peoples Day. There will be a celebration at the Tk’emlups Powwow Arbour until 9:00 p.m. tonight.

The event is all about resilience, according to Barbie Whiskeyjack from the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.

“We are a very strong and resilient people. We have had some varied misfortunes, through the residential school as well as the government,” said Whiskeyjack.

“However, no matter how hard they try to make us something else, we’ve always stayed true to our foundation of who we are as a people,” she said.

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“Culturally, with our language, and spiritually — we have a way of living, a way of healing, and we still are strong enough to do that today, no matter what has happened.”

Earlier today, lahal players got together to play the traditional bone game. The players say the game was given to them by a coyote as a tool to settle disputes.

“A lot of times after a funeral when someone passes they’ll put up their personal possessions, so at the end everybody would gather and they would play this,” said player Harrison Brennan.

“It could go on for quite a while; I’ve played in games that last hours.”