撸奶社区Nation members and the broader community marked National Aboriginal Day on Tuesday (June 21) during an event at Totem Hall that included drumming, dancing, lunch and and the 2011 edition of the Dean Adams Memorial Canoe Race.
The race on the nearby Mamquam Blind Channel featured the canoe teams of Soul Entry, Department of Oceans and Fisheries, the RCMP, and the 撸奶社区Nation's Mt. ChaiKi Warriors, comprised solely of youngsters from the community.
The canoe race was the main event for the day and as expected, the Mt. ChaiKi Warriors came out of the water victorious.
"We involved the RCMP to come out and race the kids. They haven't won yet," said Dale Harry of the 撸奶社区Nation Council.
Depending on whom one asked, it was either the sixth, 10th or 12th straight year the Warriors have done won the race. Yet the canoe race victory was clearly not what the day was all about.
"Aboriginal Day is a celebration of being a First Nation," Harry said. "It's a time when people from their First Nations communities get together to celebrate and also celebrate with others, being proud of who we are and where we come from and where we're going."
It was an ideal day for people from the community to celebrate.
"Every year is different. Today was a beautiful day and we had a large amount of people come out," Harry said.
Not long after people started gathering at Totem Hall, attendees could hear the faint hum of the Canadian Coast Guard's giant hovercraft approaching. Members of the 撸奶社区Fire Rescue Service and B.C. Paramedics also made appearances.
Squamish-area residents weren't the only ones celebrating as events were held across the Lower Mainland and the rest of Canada.
"There are events throughout Vancouver, and also they have a pole raising up in the 撸奶社区Lillooet Cultural Centre up in Whistler, so there's a lot of events happening in celebration of Aboriginal Day," said Harry.
The community is encouraged to celebrate Aboriginal Day every year.
"We invite people to come down every June 21 to celebrate aboriginal day," he said. "We're not past and gone we're here today and we're here in the future."
