Today marks National Indigenous Peoples Day—a time to recognize and celebrate the history, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples across the country.

In the metro region, First Light kicked off the occasion with a sunrise ceremony this morning.

The events continue this afternoon with music, dance, art, and traditional ceremonies.

Relational Connections Coordinator with First Light, Noah Sheppard, says events like today’s are important for the urban Indigenous community, adding that everyone is welcome to attend.

“Truth and reconciliation is not something that indigenous communities do alone. We need our allies and the non-indigenous community to stand with us. This is something that we work towards hand in hand,” he told VOCM News.

“So we want to see whoever wants to come out, to come to these events to learn about indigenous communities. So then it’s not just decision makers, but everyone and they can have a greater understanding of when indigenous voices are speaking, when they’re talking, when we’re advocating for ourselves, what that means.”

Today’s event runs at Bannerman Park from 12-3.