Bridging the gap between communities

BARRHEAD - It is about bringing communities together. 

That is what National Indigenous Peoples Day means to Robin Berard. 

Berard, a Barrhead resident who is originally from the Bigstone Cree Nation near Wabasca, was one of the organizers of Barrhead's first National Indigenous Peoples Day celebrations on June 21. 

The day is for all Canadians to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, diverse cultures and outstanding contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. 

Canadian Governor General Roméo LeBlanc first proclaimed the day (first named National Aboriginal Day) in 1996 as the result of years of consultations and statements of support for such a day made by various Indigenous groups. 

The celebration started with a procession of about 50 people, including representatives from the RCMP, local town and county officials, members of area Indigenous communities and the general public, from the Town of Barrhead municipal office to Gazebo Park via Main Street starting at about 2 p.m. 

At the gazebo, festivities started with a land acknowledgement  statement followed by demonstrations of Indigenous dancing, remarks from the organizers, Berard and Scot Robins, as well as from the town and county representatives.  

Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken, who could not attend in person, also passed on his best wishes via Robins. Festivities ended with the serving of bannock and stew. 

"It is all about unity and bridging the gap between our peoples," Berard said. 

She added that in Barrhead, there is a sizable population of Indigenous people representing several First Nations. 

"We need something like this in our community," Berard said. 

However, she added that it is not enough to bring individuals together. 

"We need to do work at the organizational level," Berard said. "That is why it was important to have the red serge (RCMP) and members of the town and county here ... Everything gets taught and learned from home (organizational level), then we go out and share it. To help create better understanding, you can't just put on events and feasts, you have to walk it." 

Planning for the event started three weeks prior when Robins suggested that they needed to host an event for the community, but before committing to the event, Berard asked for guidance from her ancestors, holding a pipe ceremony in Gazebo Park a week before the event. 

"We asked the Creator and our grandmothers and grandfathers to guide us and help us along this journey as a community," she said. 

Berard added she hopes the Barrhead ceremony will be the first of several similar events, reiterating that much more work needs to be done to "bridge the gap" between the communities. 

Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com