For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or around June 21 because of the significance of the summer solstice as the longest day of the year.

Over the years, various Indigenous groups advocated for the creation of a holiday on this day, to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous Peoples to contemporary society.

In 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood, now the Assembly of First Nations, called for the creation of National Aboriginal Solidarity Day;
In 1995, the Sacred Assembly, a national conference of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people chaired by Elijah Harper, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous Peoples;
Also in 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended the designation of a National First Peoples Day.

National Aboriginal Day was announced by the federal government in 1996 and renamed National Indigenous Peoples Day in 2017.

Mountain Rain Zen acknowledges the First Nations communities upon whose lands we live, work, and play: the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh, but also recognize that land acknowledgements by themselves are not enough. National Indigenous Peoples Day (June 21) is an invitation to practice deepening awareness, accountability, relationship building, reconciliation, and ally-ship.

In Becoming kin: And Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimaging Our Future Patty Krawec (an Anishinaabe and Ukrainian writer from Lac Seul First Nation) suggests we explore the impacts of settler colonialism and reclaim “our interconnected histories [to] take us to a place of becoming good relatives. What does it mean to be good relatives – not only to recognize our kinship but to be good kin?” (p.39).

How might teachings of Buddhism support those of us with settler/immigrant backgrounds to be in right relationship with Indigenous peoples and these lands? To support “kinship” and being “good relatives”? The Buddha dharma reminds that we are not separate and that all beings are intrinsically connected. Our actions affect the greater whole as we live in a relational web of being. Rev. Lien Shutt, in their book Home is Here Practicing Anti-Racism with the Engaged Eightfold Path, uses the analogy of Indra's web in a beautiful and powerful way, stating "...our practice is to be stewards of the whole net" (p.11).

In an interview on the BeMore blog, Bonnie Duran, who is of mixed race Opelousas/Coushatta descendent, and is an Insight Meditation teacher says: “One of the foundational principles of Indigenous life is interconnectedness. We are all related and we are all interconnected with one another - not just humans, but all aspects of nature, the Earth, the sky, the wind, and all of the elements. That’s why I think the Dharma is so resonant with me and with Indigenous communities because we believe connection as a core foundation. We are all relatives.”

To encourage ongoing reflection and practice both individually and collectively, Mountain Rain’s DEIA committee has compiled a list of resources that can be found HERE.