Burnaby is hosting a celebration for National Aboriginal Day for the first time ever.
A coalition of local groups is organizing a day of dancing and drumming at Edmonds Community School, followed by a free community dinner in the evening.
“There hasn’t been something like this before in this way so we wanted to create an opportunity to have an event like this happen in Burnaby, and of course, connect with the different aboriginal organizations to see how they felt about it, and they were very excited,” said Danny Kalivoda, manager of community engagement with the Burnaby Neighbourhood House, one of the groups involved in organizing the event.
The drumming and dancing is at Edmonds Community School from 1 to 3 p.m., but the event is more for the students. The dinner, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., is open to the general public and will also be at the school.
Spirit of the Children Society, a non-profit aboriginal organization, is also helping with the event.
“I think it seems pretty great, things have been coming together well, and it’s going to be a good first run,” said Lucas Noel, a youth program coordinator with Spirit of the Children Society. “I think the students will have a blast. There’s going to be pow-wow dance instructors to teach the kids how to dance, so they get some hands-on experience.”
National Aboriginal Day events are usually held at Vancouver’s Trout Lake, which means Burnaby families have to travel to attend, which isn’t always easy, according to Noel.
“I think it’s better that you have it in your own city so it’s accessible to more families, because it’s a national holiday, and it needs to be accessible and celebrated in every city,” he said. “Most cultures get celebrated in a more mainstream way, and native people often get overshadowed by other cultures in their own land, so I think it’s important to celebrate so it gets exposure and people get to experience it.”
Event details:
Community Dinner and celebration on Tuesday, June 21, from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. at Edmonds Community School, at 7651 28th Ave. Hosted by the Burnaby Neighbourhood House. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome. The organizing coalition includes the Burnaby Art Gallery, local parents, the Burnaby Neighbourhood House, the Burnaby school district, the Burnaby Village Museum and the Spirit of the Children Society.
