Mayor Don Darling participates in a smudging ceremony in front of City Hall.
A ceremony in front of City Hall brought dozens of residents out Friday morning to recognize National Indigenous Peoples day.
The event, which is in advance of National Indigenous Peoples day on June 21, featured a smudging ceremony, ceremonial songs, and speeches by elders and local politicians.
This year’s event closely followed the tragic killings of Chantel Moore and Rodney Levi in the province.
Brandy Stanovich is president of the Indigenous Women’s Association of the Wabanaki Territories. She became emotional when speaking about time she spent with Moore’s family in Edmundston during last weekend’s healing walk.
“The message I got on that walk, was that we’ve been the ‘Indian problem’ to this colonial system for many centuries – it’s time to be the solution,” Stanovich said.
She then read a statement from provincial Liberal leader Kevin Vickers, calling on Premier Blaine Higgs to open an inquiry into systemic bias against Indigenous peoples in New Brunswick.
Jennifer Mitton, a member of the Aboriginal Saint John group helped to organize the event. She says the deaths of Moore and Levi reinforce why it’s important to come together at ceremonies like Friday’s.
“It encourages healing,” Mitton said. “And it helps to understand what has happened, and try to stifle some of the anger and turn it into healing.”
She believes that National Indigenous Peoples day can help to bring different cultures within the region together.
“It’s to teach the community to accept the Indigenous community and be more open to the different cultures we have within our community.
