8 | NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
JUNE 2025
music & dance
Celebrating Indigenous culture and achievement
BY JIM TIMLICK
for about 20 years and regularly attracts between 800 and 1,200 people each June. Jeanna Emms, events and activities coordinator for the centre, says the day is a great opportunity for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people to come together and learn more about each other and the community they are part of. “It’s a great opportunity to meet new people. And it’s a great opportunity for any newcomers to our community to experience some Indigenous culture and learn more about the land that they live on and the people that were here before them,” she says. “It’s also a great opportunity for our partner organizations as well as our own organization to share some of the programming and the things that we’re doing.” All the activities being organized by the Portage Friendship Centre will take place between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at Island Park. Métis singer-songwriter Johnny Dietrich will again serve as the event’s master of ceremonies and will perform with his band.
Manitobans will celebrate National
Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 with a little help from their friends. Friendship centres across the province will be hosting National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations that will give people an opportunity to learn more about Indigenous people and the contributions they have made to this country’s development, while also showcasing the culture and achievements of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people. The centres are part of the Friendship Centre Movement and provide programming designed to improve the lives of both Indigenous and non- Indigenous people. One of the biggest and longest running such celebrations is hosted by the Portage la Prairie Friendship Centre located west of Winnipeg. The event has been running
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