Updating colonial thinking on National Indigenous Peoples Day
National Indigenous Day coincides with the Summer Solstice. Not only is it the day when the sun travels its longest path through the sky, which explains why it is the longest day, but it is the day that many Indigenous peoples celebrate their culture and heritage.
When Indigenous people speak, they often pay tribute to “all their relations”. They are saluting not only their families, but their ancestors, and the more-than-humans on this planet and our universe, like the rivers, rocks, trees, animals, planets and stars. They recognize that we are all connected.