National Indigenous Peoples Day & National Indigenous History Month
June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada
Land Acknowledgement Project. Image: The City of Calgary.
National Indigenous Peoples Day takes place on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. For generations, many First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities have celebrated their cultures, languages, and traditions at this time of year. The summer solstice holds deep spiritual and cultural significance for many Indigenous Peoples, marking a time of renewal, connection, and celebration.
June is National Indigenous History Month, a time for all Canadians to reflect upon and learn the history, sacrifices, cultures, contributions, and strength of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people. It’s important to know that First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples each have their own unique histories. And within each group, there are distinct histories.
Heritage Calgary acknowledges the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. This includes: the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai First Nations collectively known as the Blackfoot Confederacy, along with the Blackfeet in Montana; the Îethka Nakoda Wîcastabi (Stoney Nakoda) First Nations, comprised of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Wesley First Nations; and the Tsuut’ina First Nation. The city of Calgary is also home to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government of the Métis Nation within Alberta Districts 5 and 6. We acknowledge all Indigenous urban Calgarians, First Nations, Inuit, and Métis who have made Calgary their home.
We are grateful to work, live and learn on the land adjacent to where the Bow River meets the Elbow River, the traditional Blackfoot name for which is “Moh’kins’tsis”, which we now call Calgary. Heritage Calgary acknowledges the history of this land, and the role colonization has played in the lives of Indigenous people today and that every day is an opportunity to engage in and work towards demonstrating leadership on reconciliation.
Last Monday, Heritage Calgary held a panel for our 2024 Report to the Community with winners of the 2024 Heritage Calgary Awards. Panel participants included Brendon Many Bears and Zoe Cascadden-Jassal from the University of Calgary’s Public Archaeology Program, awarded the Heritage Calgary Award in the Cultural Landscapes category, as well as Kristy North Peigan and Doriena Hasset with the City of Calgary’s Land Acknowledgement project, which was awarded the 2024 Heritage Calgary Award in the category of Heritage Storytelling.
The University of Calgary Public Archaeology Program aims to introduce heritage to a broader audience by involving members of the public and Indigenous Peoples in archaeological education and practice. The program brought members of the public, Indigenous knowledge keepers and University of Calgary students together to study and participate in a dig at Calgary’s Nose Hill Park in 2024 and Edworthy Park in 2025.
Learn more about the program in our interview with Dr. Lindsay Amundsen-Myer, the program director. Dr. Amundsen-Myer states that “the primary goal of the Public Archaeology Program is to increase awareness among the average public of the long-term history, Indigenous history of this place, and to foster intercultural empathy, understanding, and respect.”
Taren Crowchief helps students map out a stone circle lying beneath the soil on May 29, 2025. Sarah Palmer / Livewire Calgary.
Roughly 15,000 years ago, Nose Hill stood above Glacial Lake Calgary and has been a site visited and inhabited by Indigenous People for thousands of years. With over 1,400 archaeological sites within the city boundary as of 2018, Calgary is an archaeological hub. More sites are found each year as the city continues to grow. Some of these sites are located in Calgary’s parks and the archaeological record bears witness to how humans lived on Calgary’s landscapes. The City of Calgary Parks department has published the Uncovering Human History: Archaeology and Calgary Parks report, which is full of information about archaeological sites and their use by Indigenous Peoples.
Calgary’s parks are also home to the Land Acknowledgement project, which was awarded the 2024 Heritage Calgary Award in the category of Heritage Storytelling.
In 2022, 25 land acknowledgment signs were installed in parks and open spaces across Calgary with the intent of building awareness and contributing to the Truth and Reconciliation process. Through personalized ceremony, the signs recognized the historic context of the original land stewards and connects them to the land, the air and the water that surrounds them.
The city worked directly with each Nation to identify Elders to interview and share stories of the landscape. Each sign has been installed with QR codes taking visitors directly to the video recorded Elder stories.
The project brought Indigenous youth and Elders together, giving the Elders the opportunity to pass on traditional knowledge. Participation included 20 Elders and eight artists from Treaty 7 Nations and the Metis Nation. You can learn more about the project in our interview with Elder Anthony Starlight of Tsuut’ina Nation. The project also received an award from The Canadian Society of Landscape Architects; their website includes images of each creation.
While you are out and about enjoying the city’s parks this summer, we encourage you to look for the Land Acknowledgement signs and learn more about the Indigenous history of this land. The map below shows the locations of each sign throughout the city.
Land Acknowledgement Project Map. Image: The City of Calgary.