Sharing cultures part of Canada Day celebrations
On July 1 at The Forks, some are dressed in red and white, while others wear plain clothes. And others, like 13-year-old, Charisma Mason, are wearing a rainbow in the shape of a ribbon skirt.
At lunch hour in front of the CN Stage, Mason is teaching a group of youngsters the art of hoop dancing. A quintet of paramedics take a break from saving lives to join in the fun.
When Mason, who started hoop dancing with her sister Kimberly eight years ago, received the invitation to conduct the workshop at The Forks for the Finding Our North Star — Canada Day 2023 festival, she was overjoyed.
“It gives me a smile. I enjoy looking at my audience while I’m talking with them and sharing everything I do,” Mason, a member of Fisher River Cree Nation said. “My culture is something I’m proud of.”
It’s the first time in two years that Mason is participating in Canada Day celebrations. After 215 unmarked graves were found on the grounds of a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., calls to cancel Canada Day erupted.
With many celebrations returning in 2023, it’s a day that brings on complicated feelings.
“A couple of years ago, we didn’t celebrate Canada Day. Instead of Canada Day, we wore orange shirts,” Mason said. “Now that Canada is noticing that, it’s a small part of reconciliation.”
This year, The Forks is reimagining what the national holiday looks like. While the traditional fireworks have been scrapped from the evening program, the meeting place has new entertainment, vendors and learning opportunities. From noon onwards, an exciting menu of Indigenous programming was scheduled for the festivities.
In the afternoon, the grounds gradually fill up with more visitors. At the Oodena Celebration Circle, Ojibwe for “heart of the community,” Elder Wally Chartrand tells stories for a small group huddled under the shade. At The Forks Market Stage, a crowd erupts in cheers for Darryl Buck, an Indigenous singer-songwriter from Opaskwayak Cree Nation.
Back at the CN Field, Nathaniel Mercer noshes on his favourite, classically-Canadian snack: a plate of poutine. He and his mother, Sarah Mercer, are grateful to be spending Canada Day in person at The Forks. Back in 2020, the family celebrated the holiday in their living room, rather than the CN Stage.
“Every year on Canada Day, we usually go to The Forks, unless it was COVID,” Nathaniel said. “It’s a very nice tradition, and I’m glad I am Canadian.”
In the evening, the Forks Market Stage is scheduled to showcase performances by Jérémie & Delicious Hounds, Jade Turner, The 12/21, Annika Scott and Indian City. As the night wraps up, a drone show entitled Acakos, meaning “star” in Cree, will share the teachings of Elder Wilfred Buck, an internationally-acclaimed star knowledge keeper.
Whatever brings people to The Forks on July 1, the 6,000-year-old meeting place welcomes all.