Honouring National Indigenous Peoples Day

On National Indigenous Peoples Day, members of HSAA's Indigenous Circle introduce themselves and share what National Indigenous Peoples Day means to them.

Allan: I'm Allan, and I'm a member of the Indigenous Circle and I am a Medical Lab Assistant here in Calgary, Alberta.

Daneel: My name is Daneel Harkiss. I am a Social Worker in Lethbridge, Alberta. I'm a Métis woman. I live in Blackfoot territory where Lethbridge lands as a part of Treaty 7.

Melissa: Hi, my name's Melissa Creyke, I am a Mental Health Therapist, Social Worker by trade.

Tracey: Hi, my name is Tracey Lundstrom. I'm a Métis Radiation Therapist, and I practice out of Calgary, Alberta, at the cancer centre there.

"What does National Indigenous Peoples Day mean to you?"

Allan: To me, National Indigenous Peoples Day is not a single point in time where our voices should be highlighted, or rather a part of an ongoing discussion of reconciliation and how we contribute to that conversation on a day-to-day basis.

Daneel: It's really about celebrating the community and the diversity within the community. It's a time that anybody can come and engage and learn about the culture and history.

Melissa: National Indigenous Peoples Day, what it means to me is celebrating our people, celebrating the successes. When we look at today, I really reflect on when I was young. I didn't see many people like myself in leadership positions or even in health-care positions where I was like, I can see myself in those providers. And so, for me, it's celebrating those successes of how far we have come, as a community, as a nation, to work together in healing. Together with both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.

Tracey: National Indigenous Peoples Day, to me, personally, is about celebrating the vast beauty of all the different cultures, between Inuit, Métis, First Nations. There's beautiful ceremonies and practices. And then on top of that, personally for me, it's community. It's about using that day to celebrate community, connecting with people, connecting with the land, remembering that you and I are connected, that our hearts and our spirits are in communion with the land, and that we all work together to make this work a better place.