Natalie Wuttunee gets her face painted during the BATC Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Austin Mattes, Julia Lovett-Squires

Indigenous People Day Activities

Pancakes, burgers and the first day of summer: The Battlefords celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day

Jun 20, 2025 | 4:52 PM

With National Indigenous Peoples Day (NIPD) tomorrow, the Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre’s (BRT6HC) kicked off the weekend in a big way with their Annual National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration.

The sunny skies set the perfect scene as more than 1,000 people gathered in the parking lot behind the BRT6HC with local leaders, elders, families, and schools all in attendance to enjoy the day filled with food, culture, and community connections.

Volunteers serve up breakfast during the BRT6HC annual National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Austin Mattes/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Attendees enjoyed a free pancake breakfast accompanied by live music and entertainment, vibrant powwow dancers, traditional drumming, vendor booths, and fun filled activities for children including a bouncy castle.

Patricia Whitecalf, Executive Director of BRT6HC, highlighted the significance of the annual gathering.

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“We’ve been celebrating National Indigenous Peoples Day every year, and it’s a great way to bring people together, bring people downtown, and celebrate each other’s company in a good way. It’s about showcasing our heritage and our culture. It brings awareness of our Indigenous cultures and that we are contributors to society as well,” said Whitecalf.

Seven-year-old Gianna Moosomin enjoys a snow cone during the BATC Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Apart from serving as tribute to Indigenous culture, the celebration was also a reflection of the growing unity among communities in the region, said Battlefords MLA Jeremy Cockerill.

“Celebrating today really marks the rich Indigenous culture that we have here in our community… for me, so much of it comes down to being grateful for a day like today when you can come and have breakfast, enjoy the beautiful weather, the beautiful place that we live, but also be grateful for the relationships that have been built between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. You can reflect on where we’ve come from and where we’re going together. It’s hard not to be excited about the future of our community,” he said.

The grill master flips the burgers during the BATC Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

As the event winded down and the smell of pancakes left the air, one thing was clear to everyone who attended: celebrating Indigenous culture and fostering mutual respect are essential to building a stronger, more united community.

A day of activity

Good tunes and barbecue had Central Park bustling during the Batttlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs’ Indigenous People’s Day Celebration.

“It was important for us to have it today and have as many people as we can to come out and be a part of the community,” said Hannah Oxebin, BATC clerical assistant.

“It’s definitely a very good event to have today and I’m just amazed with the amount of people that have come.”

Oxebin said this year they collaborated with Battle River Treaty 6, and the result was a full day of activities throughout the solstice.

Live performances added to the atmosphere during the BRT6HC annual National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Austin Mattes/battlefordsNOW Staff)

For Carol Moose, her favourite part of the day was being around people.

“Everything’s excellent, everything’s good, good, good,” she said. “It’s always awesome every year.”

Warran Williams said he’s been coming out to the event for years.

“Music in the park, celebrating the start of summer, how can it be bad,” he said. “It’s nice to see everybody here.”

The lineup for the barbecue during the BATC Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Throughout the day, visitors spread out on the grass, ate snow cones, cotton candy, listened to live music by Gypsy Moonbird and enjoyed being with friends and community. Jordon Weenie, BATC director of training and employment said he hoped the annual tradition would continue to grow so they may showcase their culture.

“Just to instill knowledge, to instill empathy, to instill understanding and ultimately to instill celebration of our people, of our culture, of who we are,” he said.

Weenie said his favourite part was listening to the band.

Gypsy Moonbird provide the tunes during the BATC Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Julia Lovett-Squires/battlefordsNOW Staff)

“This drives people, they love the music, they’re playing all these old hits,” he said.

Oxebin added that it was exciting to see the event all come together.

“It’s very multicultural and I love that,” she said of the vendors.

“Everyone’s coming together and that puts a good feeling and like Jordon said also – smiling faces – that’s what we want and that’s what community is to us.”

People sit, eat and play during the BRT6HC annual National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebration on June. 20. (Austin Mattes/battlefordsNOW Staff)

Meanwhile, Colleen McWatters and Gordon Slater also spoke to battlefordsNOW and explained they had just arrived at the park as they attended the pancake breakfast earlier where Slater had been performing.

“It’s been a great day so far,” said McWatters.

Slater agreed.

“I like it, it brings the community out…it’s a great thing for our community to have and it smells good out here.”

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com