National Indigenous Peoples Day Hiawatha Wampum Belt Flag Raising Ceremony
Join the Office of Indigenous Initiatives as they host the sixth annual Hiawatha Wampum Belt Flag Raising Ceremony for聽National Indigenous Peoples Day.
For centuries, the Hiawatha Wampum Belt Flag has symbolized unity and peace between the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, and Kanien'keh谩:ka, the Nations that make up the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Inaugurated at McGill in 2018, this ceremony responds to one of the Calls to Action (#28) put forward by the Provost鈥檚 Task Force on Indigenous Studies and Indigenous Education. The ceremony not only honours the land on which McGill University stands and its stewards, but also the importance of building respectful and reciprocal relations with Indigenous peoples.
The flag raising ceremony will feature remarks by Mr. Kanahsohon Kevin Deer (Kanien'keh谩:ka, Kahnawake), Principal Deep Saini, Provost Christopher Manfredi, Associate Provost (Indigenous Initiatives) Celeste Pedri-Spade (Anishinaabe, Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation), and Mr.聽Michael Loft (Kanien'keh谩:ka, Kahnawake). It will also feature a hand drum performance by Prof. Robert Spade (Anishinaabe, Obuckimaakang).聽
The ceremony will take place at the Y-Intersection on McGill University's downtown campus, where the Flag will be seen flying above the McCall MacBain Arts Building. The Y-Intersection is located at the heart of McGill's downtown campus, just north of 2298 Avenue McGill College, Montreal.
