For the past five years, the New Canadians Centre (NCC) has made Canada Day an opportunity to pause, learn about, and reflect upon Canada’s history with Indigenous peoples.
This year, the non-profit organization will be hosting the sixth annual “Lessons from the Land” event from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1 at the Jiimaan Kinomaagewin / Canadian Canoe Museum in Nogojiwanong-Peterborough.
Funded in part by the Government of Canada, the day will include free immersive workshops led by local Indigenous leaders and opportunities to learn about and celebrate Indigenous heritage, culture, and knowledge. Attendees are encouraged to wear orange shirts.
Before 2021, NCC celebrated July 1 with a Multicultural Canada Day to recognize the rich diversity of Peterborough. However, when more than 200 unmarked children’s graves were discovered at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C. that year, NCC changed its approach to Canada Day.
“That particular event gave us pause to think about our role as an organization in Truth and Reconciliation, so we decided to proceed in a different way to put our words into action,” says NCC Director of Community Development Yvonne Lai. “We decided to turn our one-day celebration of multiculturalism into the two-week Canadian Multicultural Festival and then to make space on July 1st for listening, reflection, and learning about Indigenous knowledge.”
Like many of the clients NCC supports, Lai herself was once a newcomer to Canada and says she knew “very little” about the history of the land’s original inhabitants when she arrived.
“I think it’s important that while we celebrate the present and the future, we also hold this tension that we have with our past,” she explains. “For us to fully embrace our identity as newcomers to Canada, it’s important to know that full spectrum.”
“This event isn’t just a one-off thing — it’s a learning journey. The more opportunities we can provide for newcomers to learn and be exposed to parts of our history and culture, the more we hope they will feel encouraged to participate and be active in reconciliation in the future.”
Here’s the schedule for Lessons from the Land.
Opening – Community Drum Circle (9:30 a.m.)
Since hosting Lessons from the Land, NCC has sought advisory support from Curve Lake First Nation leader and advocate Janet McCue, who says the event is an opportunity to “learn about what Canada is all about and what native people represent.”
McCue, who is a part of the traditional hand-drumming quartet Naandewegaan (Healing With Drums), will begin the day with a community drumming circle at 9:30 a.m. joined by her sister Linda. The two women will be playing the conundrum, a 16-foot canoe drum. Made by artist David Hines, there are only two in the world: one at the Canadian Canoe Museum and one that travels with McCue.
“Anyone can join and have a chance to play the conundrum,” McCue says of those who attend Lessons from the Land. “A lot of people want to know what it’s made out of and how it’s constructed. They want to learn songs and we dance around, so there’s lot of opportunity to learn about the native culture.”
McCue will also speak about the history of wild rice in Curve Lake and how its revival supports wildlife including muskrats, fishers, and red-winged blackbirds.
Concurrent activities (10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.)
Following the opening ceremony, there will be four concurrent activities taking place from 10:30 a.m. until noon.
Voyageur Canoe Tour
You can take to the water to explore Little Lake with a free Voyageur canoe tour guided by the team at The Canadian Canoe Museum. No paddling experience is required, though participants must weigh at least 30 pounds and wear a provided personal flotation device. Children must be accompanied by a caregiver.
The Voyageur Canoe Tour is limited to 35 participants and must be booked in advance.
River Race
Alternatively, you can join an interactive game called River Race that explores the journey of salmon, eels, and sturgeon during spawning season in Lake Ontario tributaries.
The activity is led by TRACKS Youth Program, an educational program that combines Indigenous and western science within an environmental context.
Participants will learn about the obstacle faced by the species, as well as the importance of waterways, and the role of traditional knowledge in understanding local ecosystems.
From Traditional Medicines to Sustainable Futures
There’s also an opportunity to learn about traditional medicines from Robyn Ivory, the founder of Curve Lake First Nation’s Indigenously Infused.
By talking about Indigenous teachings surrounding traditional medicines and sustainable harvesting, Ivory will explore how respectful relationships with the medicine and land continue to guide stewardship practices, inspire innovation, and foster a more sustainable future for generations to come.
Quill Workshop
New to Lessons from the Land this year, Curve Lake artist Donna Jacobs will lead a quill workshop, guiding participants in making an orange shirt pin using porcupine quills that she has harvested and cleaned. Jacobs is a self-taught artist who creates beadwork, quillwork, and paintings using natural materials like birch bark, leather, and caribou fur.
A limited number of kits will be available for free. Additional kits are available for purchase at $45 each. Advanced registration is required.
Community Lunch (12 – 12:30 p.m.)
Following the morning’s activities, everyone will come together at noon for a community lunch provided by Thomas Olszewski of Grandfather’s Kitchen.
You can enjoy Three Sisters Soup, an Indigenous dish made from corn, beans, and squash and named for the companion planting method used by Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.
There will also be bannock, a bread that is often served at Indigenous family gatherings, feasts, and powwows, and wild strawberries in celebration of June’s strawberry moon (Odemin Giizis). Since the berry is heart-shaped and the first to ripen in late spring and early summer, it’s considered a sacred food associated with healing.
Closing with Janet and Linda McCue (12:45 – 1 p.m.)
After a closing ceremony at 12:45 p.m. with Janet and Linda McCue, anyone attending Lessons from the Land can request a stamp at NCC’s information booth for free admission to The Canadian Canoe Museum.
You can see the 100-plus canoes, kayaks, and other paddled watercraft on display in the museum’s 20,000-square-foot Exhibition Hall, which features six unique, thematic exhibits inspired by watercraft from around the country and the world.
Through a variety of engaging and inspiring means, these exhibits honour Indigenous knowledge, cultures, histories, and ingenuity. They also share the diverse stories of people connected to the watercraft in the collection, provide a testament to the many different ways of building canoes, kayaks, and other watercraft, facilitate hands-on learning, and celebrate the role of watercraft as a path to inspiration, self-discovery, and well-being.
Virtual Education Hub
To extend the learning and help clients practise Truth and Reconciliation all year long, the NCC also offers a Virtual Education Hub full of resources to learn more about Indigenous history, culture, and teachings.
It provides education about land acknowledgements, the history of Canada’s Residential School System, the 94 Calls to Actions toward reconciliation outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, and much more.
“It’s an invitation to take an ongoing and active role in reconciliation and to think about mutual respect, cooperation, and building relationships to thrive together as a community,” says Lai.
VIDEO: “An Ojibway Story of Creation” – Pic River First Nation
For her part, McCue hopes that events like Lessons from the Land inspire the public to want to learn even more about Indigenous culture and histories.
“Hopefully people come out and enjoy the day and understand why we’re so proud of who we are as Anishinaabe people,” she says.
If you attend Lessons from the Land, NCC asks that you bring a reusable water bottle (there is a water fountain on-site), a dish pack for the community lunch (a bowl, plate, spoon, and fork), snacks, and your own lawn chair or blanket as activities will be conducted on the grass as much as possible. All activities are family friendly, but children should be accompanied by a caregiver.
To learn more about Lessons from the Land, visit nccpeterborough.ca/lessons-from-the-land-2026/.
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