This National Indigenous People鈥檚 Day, Coastal GasLink is honoured to elevate the stories and voices of our Indigenous team members. This story was written by Sarah Dickie, a member of the Fort Nelson First Nation and Coastal GasLink鈥檚 Indigenous Engagement Lead.
Indigenous People鈥檚 Day falls on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. In Fort Nelson, the sun is up by 4 a.m., down near 11 p.m. and it only barely gets dark.
I鈥檝e always found it to be a happy, hopeful day full of promise. It鈥檚 usually a day when the town, urban Indigenous organizations, and Nation come together to organize an opening event, hand-games exhibitions or tournaments, and everyone is shaking hands and visiting each other.
One year, Fort Nelson First Nation had guest drummers from Northern Alberta join our hand-games tournament 鈥� they were the best drum dances ever. I carried my niece through a few songs; she鈥檚 now a fully-fledged teenager who鈥檚 taller than me!
At this time of the year, berries aren鈥檛 quite ripe yet, but people pull out carefully hoarded frozen berries along with bags of dried moose meat, rendered moose fat, and everyone feasts. All ages stay up late to enjoy the festivities because 10 p.m. isn鈥檛 late or past anyone鈥檚 bedtime 鈥� the sun is still shining!
The winter solstice is the opposite, the sun may crest the horizon by 11 a.m. and be fully out of sight by 4 p.m. With the rivers frozen, traditional river boat travel is impossible, so in addition to being dark and cold, it can be lonely too.
The stories of family attending the St. Henry鈥檚, Lower Post and Kamloops residential schools were always horrible, but the recent discoveries of unmarked gravesites at these places was a truly dark time for a lot of people 鈥� mentally, spiritually, emotionally and even physically.
I don鈥檛 know how people move beyond it, but if that trauma could be likened to the crushing weight of ice floes breaking and jamming against downstream bridges: bridges with strong foundations stand, river banks move, and silt fertilizes new ground for spring growth. Maybe some poorly built foundations shift or break. Maybe some things will break or change in Canada, too. Maybe there will be growth in new areas.
But it is Indigenous People鈥檚 Day. The sun is shining, the river is clear and we can see a long ways away. Let鈥檚 dream of a better, more inclusive and respectful future. If only we could shake hands and share food, watch some hand-games, and join a drum dance circle, too.