June – Aboriginal Partnerships

Activities Celebrating Aboriginal Month at Parks Canada

New-Brunswick

• Wigwam Gatherings, Kouchibouguac National Park , June 24, 2011 to September 4, 2011: Wigwam at Callanders Beach. Join a First Nation interpreter for a Mi'kmaq cultural experience at the big wigwam where you will create your own friendship necklace. Offered in English on Sundays and Wednesdays and in French on Tuesdays.

Nova Scotia

• Port Royal National Historic Site , throughout June, and all summer, Saturday through Wednesday: Join Mi'kmaq Interpreter Judy Pearson in the wigwam to learn the stories of the relations between the French and the Mi'kmaq at this early French settlement. Additional special programmes highlighting Mi'kmaq culture will be held on July 17, August 21 and September 11th -- featuring drumming, games, stories and songs of the Mi'kmaq.
• Aboriginal Day, Kejimkujik National Park and National Historic Site, June 25, 2011: Come and attend the launch of our new guiding camp and celebrate Aboriginal Day with Eastern Eagle and dancers Trevor Gould and Jennifer Maloney.

Newfoundland and Labrador

• National Aboriginal Day Celebrations 2011, Port au Choix National Historic Site , June 20-21: 
  • On June 20, Parks Canada will host a Sunset Ecumenical Service at the Maritime Archaic Burial Ground. Join Aboriginal leaders, local clergy and residents to pay tribute to the various ancestors that came before. 
  • On Aboriginal Day, June 21, the public is invited to a Community Breakfast on the grounds of the Heritage Centre adjacent to the Burial Ground. Following the breakfast at 10:00 am a formal ceremony will take place at the Maritime Archaic Burial Ground, Port au Choix National Historic Site, for welcome and unveiling of a painting by Mi’kmaq artist Jerry Evans, and several new landscape features. Join our guides for a tour of the Gathering Circle, Dorset Doorway, Program Shelter and Dorset sculptures. In celebration of Parks Canada’s 100th anniversary, 100 students will gather at the Dorset Doorway for a lunch in the landscape, and later everyone is invited to walk in to Phillip’s Garden for an afternoon of fun filled activities that include Aboriginal games. 
• Aboriginal Awareness Event,  Terra Nova National Park Visitor Centre, June 25, 2011: A celebration of Aboriginal culture! Displays and demonstrations will be featured throughout the day including traditional food, regalia and aboriginal art from past to present.

Ontario

• Summer Solstice Aboriginal Arts Festival , Ottawa, June 18-19, 2011: Come enjoy our mainstage Concert Series, interactive visual arts workshop and large Parks Canada booth in the Display and Vendor Pavilion. 
• Come celebrate and connect, Hattie Cove Visitor Centre, Pukaskwa National Park , every day in June, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.: In celebration of Parks Canada centennial, Pukaskwa is opening the new updated visitor centre 37 days early this year. Enjoy bush tea or traditional ceremony with an Elder. 
• A Celebration of Canada's Aboriginal Cultures, St.Lawrence Islands National Park  Visitor Centre, Mallorytown Landing, Ontario, June 25, 2011: Celebrate National Aboriginal Day at St. Lawrence Islands National Park's Visitor Centre on June 25, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Discover more about Canada's Aboriginal cultures on the dazzling shores of the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands, a traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee People. Bring family and friends or make some new ones in a family friendly afternoon of music, games and activities.

Manitoba

• Aboriginal Activities, The Forks National Historic Site , Winnipeg: 
  • Winnipeg International Children's Festival, June 9 - 12, 2011: Winnipeg's largest children's festival attracts over 20 000 participants! This year's four days of fun includes both contemporary and traditional Aboriginal programming, a world-champion hoop dancer, a storyteller and a string stories workshop. Look for the Parks Canada tent and participate in our archeological dig activity, "Kids Dig History at The Forks!"
  • June 14-29, 2011 – weekdays, 12:00-5:00 p.m: Urban Treaty Payments are held annually at the Forks National Historic Site, during which time eligible recipients are invited to collect their treaty annuity. The Opening Ceremony, which is open to the public, is on June 14 at 11:00 a.m. and includes comments from Parks Canada, INAC and the Treaty Relations Commission of Manitoba as well as an aboriginal blessing, followed by tea and bannock.
  • Aboriginal Day Live Concert, June 18, 2011, 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.: This is our country's largest celebratory event supporting National Aboriginal Day! 
  • Aboriginal Day Live! Event at the Forks, June 18, 2011, 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.: This year's event includes a full-day festival of family fun! Participate in activities, watch entertainment and explore vendor stalls with traditional crafts in the Aboriginal Marketplace. Don't miss the Parks Canada activity tent and our mascot, Parka! 
• Aboriginal Day, Wasagaming, Riding Mountain National Park , June 21, 2011: Cultural workshops, craft making, dancing, singing and an afternoon pow-wow for the public. 

Alberta

• A spectacular Grand Entry heralds the arrival of distinguished guests at National Aboriginal Day celebrations in Jasper National Park
  © Parks Canada
  National Aboriginal Day Celebrations 2011, Jasper Information Centre and Whistler Campground Outdoor Theatre, Jasper National Park, June 18, 2011, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Drink in the sights, sounds and colours of local and regional Aboriginal culture at its finest. Sample mouth-watering bannock and bush tea. Enjoy the beat of the drum and dancers in colourful regalia. Take part in a guided medicine bush walk or watch Elders conduct traditional activities like moccasin making, meat drying and hide scrapping. Listen to speeches and stories spoken in native languages. Enjoy live music and join in a round dance with visitors from around the world! 

British Columbia

• Pacific Rim National Park Reserve , June 18-21: 
  • June 18 (tentative): Opening of Revitalized Interpretive Centre at Wickaninnish Beach, Unveiling of Welcome Post at Kwisitis, Renaming of the Interpretive Centre at Wickaninnish Beach 
  • June 21: Interpretive Centre presentations by local artists, booths and cake, coffee and tea. Each presenter will compliment the new Nuu-chah-nulth Exhibits; Nuu-chah-nulth Interpretive Walk; Vancouver Island Artists and Craftspeople fair. 

Yukon

• National Aboriginal Day, Tachal Dhal Visitor Information Centre, Kluane National Park , June 21, 2011: Celebrate Aboriginal Day with Kluane First Nation, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Parks Canada at Kluane National Park and Reserve’s Tachäl Dhäl Visitor Reception Centre on beautiful Kluane Lake. Come out for a day of fun with a variety of activities from 11:00am to 3:30pm. Enjoy learning about the history of First Nations in the Kluane area by attending specialized presentations. Listen to a local author read from her series of children’s book written in the Southern Tutchone language. Bring your shopping bag to fill with unique local gems available for purchase on site from First Nation artisans and craftspeople. Or bring a folding chair, sit back in this breathtaking location, enjoy a cup of tea and simply take it all in. All are welcome to share in the experience. Tachäl Dhäl Visitor Centre (located 75 kms north of Haines Jct). - 867 841 4500.