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THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS.
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CULTURAL TAPESTRY: Four-year-old Sarenity Desjarlais-Cahoose weaves at the Burnaby Village Museum booth on National Indigenous Peoples Day in Burnaby. PHOTO LAUREN VANDERDEEN
Burnaby comes out for National Indigenous Peoples Day Lauren Vanderdeen
lvanderdeen@burnabynow.com
Burnaby honoured National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 at Edmonds Park and Plaza. The event featured a variety of performers, sharing
their cultures with dances, songs and storytelling. CarleenThomas of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation welcomed guests, saying it’s time to come together. “We have to find a way to work together. And with this world, this planet in
the state that it’s in now, all the little things we can do in our own communities is important,” she said. SenaqwilaWyss, the director and programmer of the event’s ceremonies, said she focused on including local Nations and multi-
generational dance groups and storytellers. “It’s about sharing our culture, but also to make non-Indigenous feel welcome; that it’s to learn about our culture through education, through hearing stories and hearing our
songs, as it’s just a huge part of who we are,” said Wyss. The Xwelmexw Shxwexwo:s SalishThunderbird song and dance group performed a paddle song. Francis James, speaking for the group, said the
young men “have been dancing since they were still in their diapers.” “They’ve been involved in our culture since then, since Day 1,” James said, noting it’s important to share that their people are thriving.