Photo: Michael Oleksyn/Daily Herald Modeste McKenzie of the Northern Prairie Dancers taught jigging as part of the NPIPC Summer Solstice at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre on Saturday.
By: Michael Oleksyn
Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective (NPIPC) provided attendees with plenty of opportunities for cultural learning at their fourth annual Summer Solstice event on June 20.
The event was held at the Prince Albert Exhibition Centre and drew in artists from multiple disciplines with the goal of educating local youth. It began with a tipi raising Saturday morning led by Wahpeton’s Bil Waditaka.
Janice Henry, president of the Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective, said that Saturday’s event was a larger success than the first three.
“We really went all out and pounded the pavement to get the word out,” Henry said. “It’s not that people are reluctant to come. The thing is, to create a greater knowledge of the event.”
Henry said Collective members travelled around Prince Albert to invite people and encourage involvement.
“We talked to organizations, we talked to individuals, we went everywhere and really blitzed the city,” Henry explained. “I think it made a profound impact on the participants this year.”
Last year the event was held over two days in August and this year it was held on the day before the actual summer solstice. Henry said that they were exceeding expectations after having 550 attendees over two days last year.
Henry said they matched that total on one day in 2026.
“The doors were supposedly open at 10 a.m., and we had people coming in at 9.30 a.m. registering, so that’s something to say about the event this year,” Henry said. “We’ve been really excited.”
She said the goal of the event is to work together and do their part as the Indigenous community to create a healthier lifestyle and life for their children.
“In order to do that, of course, cultural education and retention is so necessary,” Henry said. “It’s so vital to their growth and development and also, not only that, it supports kinship and promotes community.”
Events included learning about jigging from the Northern Prairie Dancers and Hoop Dancing. These two groups closed the afternoon before supper with entertainment and lessons.
Henry said that the workshops were meant to show how diverse Indigenous teachings and knowledge can be.
“We try to facilitate workshops that meet different needs, because not everybody wants to dance, but some like to paint, and some like to sew, and some like to do beadwork,” Henry explained. “There’s something for everybody. The teepee raising is unbelievable. We bought a teepee this year.”
After renting a teepee in the past the group purchased a tee pee this year. Henry said that they purchased it so that they will have one for Summer Solstice and other events.
Henry explained that moving the Summer Solstice back to mid-June or near the actual summer solstice was intentional.
“We wanted to engage our children and families to a greater degree,” she explained. “Last year we noticed that because it was the middle of summer, many do go up north and they’re gone. But they’re still in school right now, so we wanted to have our families come out more and just promote that with them.”
Henry said competing with the Downtown Street Fair was not an issue because of the diversity of people in Prince Albert so they will keep the event in June next year after being in August in 2025.
“That just shows that there’s room for everyone in the city. People can go to the street fair and then come here,” she said. “The thing with the street fair, and this was something that really gets to me every year, is the fact that the street fair offers so many different things, but there’s a very large cost to that financially, so many of our families can’t afford to go.”
She said they wanted to have fun things but also cultural teachings about traditional medicine at the Log Cabin on the Exhibition grounds, drumming and Medicine Wheel teachings.
The entire event is part of the groups mission as a collective.
“The Northern Prairie Indigenous Peoples Collective are committed to working with the community and to supporting our Indigenous children and families, and further, to creating a greater understanding of kinship, a greater relationship of kinship amongst us all in Prince Albert,” Henry said.
She explained that in 2025 there was a large group of newcomers who came out and enjoyed the day.
Everything was free for the day including the banquet to conclude the day. This event is completely volunteer driven with the support of NLCDC, SaskCulture, SIGA, and community donations.
“Sask Culture sees the value as well in the things that we do and the services we provide,” Henry said. “When you think about it, we’re a bunch of volunteers working together to make it happen. We have such talented artisans and artists and dancers and, just different people that come to the Summer Solstice.”
Henry said that she was thrilled by the large turnout for 2026
“We’re very appreciative to everyone for coming out and all the organizations that supported us because of the donations,” Henry said.
She gave examples of doantions from everything from Dakota Dunes Resort, PBCN Gas Station, Partners, Leon’s and restaurants in Prince Albert from Montana’s to Ricky’s and TJ’s Pizza and others.
“We went everywhere to support our people,” Henry said.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca