Toronto – Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park) proclaimed June as Indigenous Peoples Month and announced programming for the Na-Me-Res Pow Wow, Indigenous Arts Festival and other related City of Toronto events. The Proclamation is available on the City’s Proclamation 2023 webpage.
The Na-Me-Res Pow Wow and Indigenous Arts Festival will take place on Saturday, June 17 and Sunday, June 18 at the Fort York National Historic Site, located at 250 Fort York Blvd. The Festival is a free, community-focused event in celebration of traditional and contemporary Indigenous music and dance, along with artisanal and culinary experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples living across Turtle Island and Indigenous communities around the world. January Rogers is the Indigenous Arts Festival curator for 2023.
The Na-Me-Res Pow Wow and Indigenous Arts Festival lineup will include:
- An outdoor artisan vendor market – Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., where unique and beautiful Indigenous arts and crafts will be for sale. Members of the public can meet and learn from the artists.
- The all-Indigenous food market – Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring a rich and diverse array of culinary offerings, representative and in celebration of First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures of Turtle Island.
- Ceremonial words by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation cultural representatives Elder Garry Sault and Valarie King on the concert stage on Saturday at 9 a.m.
- Grand Entry and annual Na-Me-Res traditional Pow Wow with drummers and dancers – Saturday, from noon to 5 p.m.
- The Indigenous Arts Festival’s full-day live concert featuring contemporary and traditional Indigenous musical performers – Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The City supports the Na-Me-Res Pow Wow and Indigenous Arts Festival in partnership with founding partners the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Na-Me-Res and festival partner Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People). The program is presented by TD Bank Group and made possible, in part, by the Government of Canada, with supporting sponsor Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and media partners ELMNT FM and the Toronto Star.
More information on the Festival and its artists is available on the City’s Na-Me-Res Pow Wow and Indigenous Arts Festival webpage.
In addition to the Festival, the City will mark Indigenous Peoples Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day with the following programming:
On Wednesday, June 21 at 5:30am, on Nathan Phillips Square, the City will present the annual Sunrise Ceremony to mark National Indigenous Peoples Day. The City welcomes everyone to attend this sacred ceremony, coming together with Indigenous partners to share in offering prayers and in giving thanks for all of creation and Mino Baamodziwin (The Good Life).
The City is also accepting applications on an ongoing basis for its Capacity-building for Grants for Indigenous-led Grassroots Groups and Collectives. Groups can apply for one grant each of up to $20,000. A total of $450,000 in funding is available in 2023.
Applications for the next round of funding will be considered starting June 21 and the final deadline to apply is Thursday, September 21, 2023. For more information and to apply, visit the City’s Capacity-building Grants for Indigenous-led Collectives & Grassroots Groups webpage.
Additional Indigenous Peoples Month programming and resources are available on the City’s Indigenous Peoples Month webpage.
“Indigenous Peoples Month is a time to learn, reflect and celebrate the diversity of First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples across Tkaronto and all of Turtle Island. I encourage Toronto residents to take time to learn more about Indigenous histories, communities and the contributions Indigenous peoples have made in this city and country. The Indigenous Arts Festival is in an opportunity to celebrate traditional and contemporary Indigenous music and dance, along with artisan and culinary experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples living across Turtle Island and Indigenous communities around the world.” – Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park)