Toronto/IBNS: June as Indigenous Peoples Month was officially proclaimed Thursday by Toronto's Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie (Scarborough-Rouge Park)  who announced programming for the Na-Me-Res Pow Wow, Indigenous Arts Festival and other related City of Toronto events, a news release said.

Taking place on Sat, June 17 and Sun, June 18, The Na-Me-Res Pow Wow and Indigenous Arts Festival will be held at the Fort York National Historic Site, located at 250 Fort York Blvd.

A free, community-focused event, the Indigenous Arts Festival, curated in 2023 by January Rogers, is held to celebrate traditional and contemporary Indigenous music and dance and highlights artisanal and culinary experiences of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples living across Turtle Island and Indigenous communities around the world.

In partnership with founding partners, the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and Na-Me-Res and festival partner Dashmaawaan Bemaadzinjin (They Feed the People),  the Na-Me-Res Pow Wow and Indigenous Arts Festival are supported by  the City of Toronto..

Presented by TD Bank Group, the program is made possible, in part, by the Government of Canada, with supporting sponsor Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) and media partners ELMNT FM and the Toronto Star.

In addition to the Festival, Indigenous Peoples Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day would be marked by the City on Wednesday, June 21 at 5:30 a.m.on Nathan Phillips Square and present the annual Sunrise Ceremony.

Everyone is being welcomed by the city of Toronto to attend this sacred ceremony, coming together with Indigenous partners to share in offering prayers and in giving thanks for all of creation and Mino Baamodziwin (The Good Life).

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)