National Indigenous Day festivities kick off in Verdun

Drumming, sizzling food, and lively chatter filled Arthur Therrien Park in Verdun this National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Hosted by Indigenous community organization Native Montreal in partnership with the Southern Quebec Inuit Association (SQIA), the Tasiutigiit Association and the Saturviit Inuit Women’s Association of Nunavik, the festival brought Montrealers together to celebrate the cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities.

The event also featured a crowd favorite: the kookum cook-off. Now in its third year, the event features kookums, the Anishnaabe word for grandmother, showcasing traditional recipes.

“What we do is we have a friendly competition between the grandmothers,” said Carole Brazeau, who was throwing her hat in the ring for third year in a row. On the menu this year: deer and trout “surf n’ turf” with butternut and acorn squash stuffed with wild rice and corn — all seasonal ingredients at this point in the summer.

“I think we don’t showcase our grandmothers enough,” Native Montreal director Philippe Meilleur said. “So this is just a cute way to give them a platform to be at the center stage for a little moment.”

National Indigenous Peoples Day takes place during the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and a very important day in the traditions of many Indigenous nations, Meilleur said.

“Because it is the longest day of the year, there are many celebrations that use this day to mark this period — be it about the sun, the start of the summer or the creation of life,” he added.

At the heart of the festival, Indigenous vendors showcased and sold their crafts in the marketplace. Tasheena Logan, who was selling hand-made traditional regalia, said events like these offer valuable opportunities to raise awareness of Indigenous cultures.

“It is a celebration of my people. It is to show our beauty and to share that with everyone,” Logan said. “These teachings come passed down through generations (…) they’re from years of perfecting the craft.”

For others, the day is a chance to get non-Indigenous people to reflect on the past.

“It’s a good reminder for non-Indigenous peoples,” Mackenzie said, “to kind of reflect on what you do on a day to day basis.”

The festivities hosted by Native Montreal also featured music performances by drummers and continued until sundown.