Wednesday was a day to celebrate Indigenous culture, put politics aside and come together for the Splatsin community.

The North Okanagan First Nation celebrated National Indigenous Peoples Day with a powwow, a Lions Club breakfast, a five kilometre walk/run challenge, children害羞草研究所檚 activities and more.

Dozens of people gathered at the Splatsin ball park to take in the festivities, which included drumming, dancing and plenty of prize giveaways.

害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檝e been around for over 10,000 years, and to have a day recognizing us as Indigenous people is amazing. We害羞草研究所檝e been through a lot of turmoil throughout the years, and this is a day of celebration,害羞草研究所� said Splatsin councillor Theresa William, who attended the event.

William said now is a good time to have an event that brings the Splatsin community together, in light of recent political strife that has divided the band on the question of its leadership, which culminated today in the against Doug Thomas害羞草研究所� status as Splatsin chief.

READ MORE:

害羞草研究所淥ur people have been through a lot of turmoil as you can see in the media, and this is actually bringing our people together in a good way,害羞草研究所� William said.

Another Splatsin councillor, Sabrina Vergata, said celebrations on Indigenous Peoples Day are an important way to preserve Indigenous culture in a country that must work to reverse historical attempts to erase that culture.

害羞草研究所淚t helps other Indigenous people also connect to their roots, especially with a lot of our traditions and our culture being wiped away with residential schools and 害羞草研究所�60s scoops and such, so it害羞草研究所檚 a day that signifies our resilience,害羞草研究所� Vergata said.

Vergata personally enjoyed the drumming and the dancing at the event, as well as seeing the community get together and socialize.

害羞草研究所淚 think it害羞草研究所檚 amazing. It really helps tie everyone together and even if there is a little bit of hardship at the moment it害羞草研究所檚 nice to see everyone smiling and putting everything aside.害羞草研究所�

At the event, there were several booths set up. Some were vendors selling goods, and others were organizations offering guests a view of what Splatsin culture, and Indigenous cultures in general, are all about.

For generations, many Indigenous groups have celebrated their culture and heritage on June 21 because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.

READ MORE:

READ MORE: