Flag raising at the Tisdale and District Museum for their third annual National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration (Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

National Indigenous Peoples Day

Tisdale Reconciliation hosts NIPD celebration, Melfort Reconciliation unveils Indigenous signs

Jun 20, 2025 | 4:48 PM

National Indigenous Peoples Day (NIPD) was celebrated at the Tisdale & District Museum on Friday for the third straight year.

Organized by the Reconciliation Tisdale group, the day included flag raisings, an artisan market, cultural displays, the Métis anthem, traditional drumming, cultural dance performances, fiddle music, and more.

“It’s really important, I find, to mark this day…certainly if you’re Indigenous, you want to come out and celebrate, or maybe you’re celebrating in your own community. For non-Indigenous people too, I think it’s a really important step in reconciliation to come and enjoy the celebration, and learn something about the culture. If you can’t make it out to a celebration, though, you can always look to educate yourself with the 94 Calls to Action and learn that way,” explained organizing committee and group member Katie Adair.

“I’ve been really pleased by the turnout, I think every year it grows a little bit, and I’m just so grateful that people are learning about the celebration. I see lots of smiling faces and people making friendships and connections, which is great.”

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National Indigenous Peoples Day takes place on the summer solstice each year (June 21st), the longest day of the year. For generations, many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities have celebrated their cultures, languages, and traditions at this time of year. The summer solstice holds deep spiritual and cultural significance, marking a time of renewal, connection, and celebration.

In Melfort, on Thursday evening, the local reconciliation group held a sign unveiling near the skatepark, as Indigenous language signs have been put up along the walking path to mark the many different plants, bushes and trees.

(Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

It states, “We acknowledge this land is Treaty 6 territory and is the traditional homeland of the Cree, Saulteaux, Dene, Nakota and Metis Nation. We respect the languages whose presences continue to enrich our community. We are grateful for and humbled by the gift of Mother Earth and all that she provides for us. We make this acknowledgement as an act of reconciliation and with gratitude for those who are caretakers of this land, past and present. We are all treaty people.”

The signs were created with the help of the Melfort Communities in Bloom group. In total, there are 15 different signs in Indigenous languages.

(Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

“This idea came about when we were thinking about reconciliation and were looking at the Calls to Action. Several of them have to do with languages and how we, in our community, could increase the visibility of these languages,” added Reconciliation Melfort member Lindsay Johnstone.

“It’s a small act of reconciliation, but we feel that it’s meaningful. Something small that we can do to elevate and uplift, and give back something that in the past they tried to take away, and now we’re trying to give it back.”

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