National Gallery of Canada’s official statement for National Indigenous History Month
June is National Indigenous History Month, a time to honour the unique heritage, cultures, and traditions of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples across this land and learn more about Indigenous communities and their contributions to society.
With the creation of the department of Indigenous Ways and Decolonization in 2022, we continue to reinforce our commitments to Indigenous Nations and peoples by building ongoing relationships with Indigenous partners and colleagues across the organization and across the communities we serve, while we champion and move forward through our shared journey of decolonization and inclusivity in all we do.
This month is an opportunity for Canadians to participate in activities to engage with, and broaden their understanding of, Indigenous peoples’ distinct histories, traditions, spiritualities, languages, and arts. At the National Gallery of Canada, we are committed to respecting and honouring the voices of Indigenous peoples, dismantling systemic racism, inequalities, and discrimination, and walking the path of conciliation and reconciliation together through art as we re-examine and re-imagine our collections, programming, policies, and engage in new ways that reflect the diversity of Canada.
In our five-year Strategic Plan, we committed to embedding Indigenous ways of knowing and being throughout the Gallery experience, while deepening our relationships with Indigenous communities. We do this by uplifting the voices of Indigenous artists, curators, Elders, knowledge keepers, and creative and cultural producers, understanding that their stories need to be told by them.
As allies, we need to be continually engaged by listening to those with lived experience, educating ourselves through a variety of outlets and helping to create spaces so that diverse voices can always be heard.
As articulated in the final report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada:
“Together, Canadians must do more than just talk about reconciliation; we must learn how to practice reconciliation in our everyday lives—within ourselves and our families, and in our communities, governments, places of worship, schools, and workplaces. To do so constructively, Canadians must remain committed to the ongoing work of establishing and maintaining respectful relationships.”
We encourage everyone to take this time to consider their personal roles in this journey, and how we can engage, share, learn and act together.
You can find more details about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission at www.nctr.ca.
Angela Cassie
Interim Director and Chief Executive Officer
Steven Loft
Vice President, Indigenous Ways and Decolonization
Learn more about how you can participate in events and programming this month at the NGC.