SASKATOON — Elementary school teacher Tabetha Mason and Indigenous singer Douglas Morin were pleased to see how the annual Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation event unfolded. Both were among the more than 1,000 participants who took part in the event on Friday, which began and ended at the Reconciliation Circle in Victoria Park.
The Walk for Reconciliation is part of the commemoration of National Indigenous Peoples Day marked every year on June 21.
A sea of orange weaved through the River Landing pathway this year. The walk was led by about a dozen golf carts carrying residential school survivors, followed by hundreds of schoolchildren and community members.
Mason, who teaches a combined class of Grade 2 and 3 students at Buena Vista School, said that the entire school—led by principal Justin Giesbrecht—along with approximately 35 teaching staff and all 404 students, participated in the event. Buena Vista was named the 2025 Inclusive School of the Year by Inclusion Saskatchewan.
The celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day began in 1996. The Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation, co-chaired by the City of Saskatoon and , started in 2016.
Mason said that the history and importance of Indigenous culture and reconciliation with First Nations are taught at Buena Vista throughout the school year, from Orange Shirt Day to National Indigenous Peoples Day.
“We teach the kids about reconciliation and what it means to live on this land, this place in Saskatoon, and being part of their culture that we are all Treaty people,” Mason told Â鶹´«Ã½AV after their group completed the more than 40-minute walk.
She added that the students love learning about the history of the Indigenous Peoples, especially in a multicultural city like Saskatoon, as they also have students who are immigrants and have embraced First Nations culture.
“They understand that they all feel part of the group. Regardless of their … country of origin or whether they were born in Canada, they can be part of the community and share their culture,” said Mason.
“We have many students who are from different countries in our school, and they are proud of their culture. We celebrate other festivals, such as Holi.”
Morin, a member of the NWA Drum Group, said that seeing a lot of youth participating this year was overwhelming and means a great deal to him as an Indigenous person, as the next generation is learning about their culture and showing respect.
“We are introducing them to our culture while we keep our roots alive. For them to experience all of this gives positive energy,” said Morin, who was pleased to see different communities and cultures joining them.
“It was awesome for people from different cultures to experience ours, and for us to see different races here shows the multiculturalism of Saskatoon. We get to perform, and they also get to perform in front of these people.”
He added that he teaches his kids to embrace multiculturalism, where they introduce them to their Indigenous roots and at the same time learn and experience other cultures too.
The Chinese community performed a dragon dance, and Japanese drummers greeted walkers along the route, alongside Indigenous dancers performing at the Spirit of Alliance monument. People from various cultures and countries also participated in the walk.
