Halifax Kana’ta Day celebrations rooted in inclusion and awareness – Halifax | Globalnews.ca

Hundreds of people flocked to downtown Halifax to take part in Canada Day celebrations that included a focus on connecting people with the Mi’kmaw language and culture.

The Halifax Regional Municipality partnered with the Mi’kmaw Indian Friendship Center to organize the celebrations.

“We’re here celebrating Canada Day, or Kana’ta Day, which is how we say Canada in Mi’kmaq,” said Cheryl Copage-Gehue, an advisor to the municipality’s indigenous community.

“We’ve reinvented, redesigned and refocused what Canada Day could look like with a more inclusive lens and with a bit of an indigenous focus, so that we can have the opportunity to share our culture, share our traditions, on this big day.”

Copage-Gehue said the partnership between the municipality and the Mi’kmaw Indigenous Friendship Center is an important step on the road to reconciliation, after a year in which the unmarked graves of hundreds of indigenous children were found in the former residential school sites across Canada.

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Part of the day’s events included Mawio’mi on the Commons, which featured music, crafts, games, and authentic indigenous cuisine.

The celebrations began with the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo Parade.

“I felt like it was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and get to know Canada more,” said newcomer Azuka Onwuka, who attended the parade Friday morning on her way to the commons.

Onwuka was there with a group of recent immigrants brought together by Ian Shephard, an English teacher and founder of Right Star Newcomer Services.

“We offer events like this, Canada Day, city tours and English learning opportunities for newcomers to Canada,” said Shephard.

He said such opportunities, like the Kana’ta Day celebrations, enrich both his life and the lives of the people he works with.

“Meeting people in person and seeing their smiles, and making those connections, helping to facilitate those connections, has been really rewarding for me,” she said.

Onwuka added, “It’s a wonderful feeling to see people again, to be with people, to talk to people.”