Ken Noskye’s Memorable Stories

When Ken died in February 2021, we had an outpouring of messages from readers, with many telling us how much his columns meant to them. In light of that, we thought we would go back through our files and re- publish some of his columns. Ken would be flattered by the kind words readers expressed. We miss him as a friend and as a storyteller.

When I heard there was National Aboriginal Day my first question was, “what’s the theme?”

On Valentine’s Day, we celebrate love and during the Christmas season, kindness and family. Even on Halloween we give and receive candy from complete strangers, even though we’ve been told to never accept anything from strangers.

As the years went by, I started to figure out what the theme should be for National Aboriginal Day.

It was first celebrated in 1996, after it was proclaimed by then-Governor General of Canada Romeo LeBlanc to be celebrated on June 21 annually.

June 21 was chosen for many reasons, including its cultural significance as the summer solstice, and because it’s a day many Aboriginal groups traditionally celebrate their heritage.

National Aboriginal Day is now part of a series of Celebrate Canada days. This is followed by the National Holiday of Quebec on June 24, Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27 and Canada Day on July 1.

In 2001, members of the 14th legislative assembly passed the National Aboriginal Day Act, making the Northwest Territories the first jurisdiction in Canada to recognize this as a statutory holiday.

National Aboriginal Day has now been celebrated for more than 20 years. I have started to realize it is a day of pride and a day to celebrate the proud heritage of this continent’s founding people.

It’s been a privilege to see the day grow from a small gathering of people to events that draw people from all races and all walks of life.

Thinking back to my childhood, we never had a national day to celebrate our culture.

In fact, Ottawa didn’t like the idea of Indians gathering together. Times have changed for the First Nations.

The First Nations youth of today are only the second generation of totally free people. I try to tell them that the year I was born First Nations people were not allowed to vote. Many of the youth don’t believe me. This is why I believe history, no matter how horrible, should include the survival of First Nations people on National Aboriginal Day.

There were so many laws and acts of legislation directed toward “kill the Indian in the Indian,” it’s amazing our language survived. I am worried about the disappearance of small First Nations languages.

I’m 100 percent Cree. There was a time when I thought the Cree language would eventually disappear, but today I see many parents teaching their children the beauty of the language.

There was a time when speaking the Cree language had to be hidden. Children in residential schools were strapped and beaten if they spoke the Cree language. That didn’t stop these children, and many came out of the residential schools still fluent in the Cree language. This was an incredible achievement.

Survival should also be a theme for National Aboriginal Day because, as a nation, we have survived everything that has been thrown at us.

Today, when I hear the drums of our nations and watch the youth dance, my heart is filled with pride.

• Ken Noskye