Ideas For Events

Traditional Activities

Integrate both traditional and contemporary Aboriginal activities to your agenda and involve an Aboriginal Elder. Activities could include:

• opening and closing prayers
• presentation on Aboriginal culture
• activities about traditional lifestyles
• celebration of the summer solstice
• community feast
• pow-wow
• drummers
• traditional dancers - First Nations, Inuit and Métis
• traditional games, e.g. lacrosse
• storytelling
• arts and craft display or workshop

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Activities for Schools and Youth

National Aboriginal Day can be recognized in schools and public forums in a variety of ways. For example, you could:

• invite an Aboriginal guest speakers, e.g. an Elder, to speak on local history as well as contemporary issues
• plan an activity with a partner such as an on-reserve school or school district
• prepare an arts and crafts display or workshop
• offer an Aboriginal language workshop
• play traditional or contemporary games, e.g. lacrosse
• prepare a display of items such as treaties, arts and books
• hold storytelling sessions
• invite Aboriginal dancers and singers to perform
• hold an essay and artwork contest
• give a quiz on Aboriginal history/culture
• organize a school Internet exchange
• take field trips to local Aboriginal sites
• hold student exchanges
• start a Pen Pal Club with an Aboriginal school
• research contributions made by Aboriginal people to Canada
• identify or learn about Aboriginal heroes/heroines in Canada
• learn about Aboriginal food preparation
• hold a bannock-baking contest

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Sports Events

Sports events could be organized in schools, communities and businesses, and include both children and adults. Activities could include:

• canoe races
• rodeo
• Northern and Arctic games
• lacrosse
• trail rides (horses)
• day camps

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Community Events

Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal communities plan gatherings, including:

• hosting a community breakfast
• hosting a barbecue
• holding a bake fair
• organizing bannock and other Aboriginal food-making demonstrations
• creating a recipe book of local Aboriginal dishes
• hosting a bonfire party
• hosting a talent show
• hosting a fashion show
• offering cultural awareness workshops
• demonstrating construction of a traditional dwelling
• tracing the community's roots
• presenting/demonstrating hunting, fishing and gathering techniques
• offering workshops on medicinal plants
• hosting a concert headlining Aboriginal performers
• providing special recognition of outstanding Aboriginal people or student achievement in the community or school
• inviting a National Aboriginal Achievement Award recipient or nominee to participate in various events
• asking a local Aboriginal organization to host an open house with various partners
• organizing a parade with representation from First Nations, Inuit, Métis and non-Aboriginal communities
• presenting films and plays produced by Aboriginal people (both traditional and contemporary), e.g. Dreamspeaker Festival in Edmonton, Alberta
• hosting a walk on a historical trail
• inviting local officials and representatives from the local communities
• offering tours of Aboriginal business and presenting local success stories
• organizing an employment exchange hosted by professional organizations
• hosting a panel discussion on Aboriginal issues and culture

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Communications

Local media, including print, radio and television, are excellent forums for National Aboriginal Day event announcements and for awareness-building. Some things you can do:

• write a story or letter to the editor to be printed in a newspaper that day
• invite the local cable television station to cover events
• send public service announcement to various Aboriginal media (print, mainstream and community radio stations) and send invitations for them to attend local events
• partner with special networks such as the Womens Television Network (WTN), Youth Television Network (YTV) and Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) on your media coverage strategies
• host a workshop on Aboriginal languages or post examples of Aboriginal languages on the Internet

Other Possibilities

Special displays of books, art, treaties, etc. could take place in libraries, museums, city halls, schools and other public places. Professional gatherings could also be organized. Some ideas:

• honour Aboriginal veterans
• partner with parks or your municipality to host an event at a site/museum
• recreate historical events at a traditional Aboriginal gathering site
• create a display of documents of historic significance, e.g. treaties
• host a travelling museum
• hold meetings with mayor/city councils and Chief/band councils to share best practices
• hold a city council meeting in a Friendship Centre
• organize an exchange between the local Mayor and a Chief of a nearby reserve whereby one assumes the other's responsibilities for a day
• invite institutions that promote Native Studies programs, (e.g. University of Lethbridge, Trent University) to participate in National Aboriginal Day activities

Note: Ensure that your Aboriginal partners are involved in the planning of your events.