A local organization will offer Mission residents another option to acknowledge Canada Day.
Throughout the long weekend, VYPER (Visionary Youth Peers for Equity and Revitalization) is hosting its second annual ‘Reclaiming Youth Powwow’ on the historical grounds of the St. Mary’s Residential School at 34110 Lougheed Highway in Mission.
“I think it’s important that on Canada Day, our Indigenous people have a space designated for them to come and celebrate being an Indigenous person while living on what we call Turtle Island,” VYPER leader Marcella Sunshine said.
The event will feature dancing, vendors, food, games and free overnight camping. The powwow will include food trucks, breakfasts in the morning, and a feast on Saturday night.
There will be grand entries for powwows at 7 p.m. on Friday (June 30), 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday (July 1), and the final session on Sunday at 1 p.m. There will also be an “Orange Regalia Special” to honour survivors of St. Mary’s Residential School.
“It really is about reclaiming that land,” Sunshine says. “There’s a lot of people who come to our powwow at St. Mary’s who actually went to that residential school as children and there are some people that can’t come because it’s too painful. We want to honour and respect both sides of that.”
The organization brought a powwow back to the historical residential school grounds for the first time in over 20 years in 2022. Sunshine says the group is trying to do good and reset the energy by putting young Indigenous children in those spots to reclaim those lands.
VYPER is a provincial non-profit with ties to the Fraser Valley, led by Indigenous youth. The group is primarily comprised of Indigenous youth under 30 years old who have lived experience with the foster care system, substance use, neurodiversity, and/or mental health challenges.
The organization is searching for young Indigenous leaders from across the province to lead projects in their communities.
Over 5,000 are people expected to attend over the weekend. The powwow is open to all Indigenous and non-Indigenous individuals, but attendees are encouraged to wear orange to show solidarity with the residential school survivors.
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dillon.white@missioncityrecord.com
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