Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre hosts Solidarity Day gathering

When Lindsey Bowes’ grandmother died about two years ago, she decided to dig further into her Indigeneity to learn more about her culture.

The local resident was one of many at the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre (FENFC) for a Solidarity Day gathering, an event on Friday that offered traditional food items like Indian tacos and fry bread, as well as moose call and war cry competitions, among other things.

Bowes was a vendor at the event, bringing a full table of beaded jewelry and crocheted items.

Her grandmother never told anyone she was a residential school survivor and her family only learned about this after her death.

“It was something she kept a secret and I wanted to know why,” said Bowes about exploring her roots in more detail.

Her grandmother was an avid crocheter, and Bowes said she learned to crochet to pay homage.

“When she passed, I picked it back up to honour her,” she said.

Bowes has taken programs at the FENFC as well as at the First Nations Technical Institute in the area of mental health addictions, she told Fort Erie Radio at the gathering.

Youth worker Shannon Cotter was busy making fry bread when she spoke to Fort Erie Radio, saying Solidary Day is “our time to celebrate,” adding that it’s important to welcome various groups and organizations, as well as non-Indigenous people.

“This is our way of opening our doors and inviting the community to come celebrate with us,” said Cotter.

The centre has been in Fort Erie for more than 40 years and has hosted many celebrations during its time, one of them being the annual mid-winter powwow, an occasion that brings out hundreds of people every year.

Solidarity Day has been celebrated locally for about 20 years, she said.

“Every year it gets larger and larger,” she said.

Jack Seguin, a Ridgeway resident of Métis background, took a break from the barbecue to talk to Fort Erie Radio about what the day means to him.

“It’s about bringing the community out to make them aware of who we are,” he said.

Premier Doug Ford has been under fire this week for a comment he made regarding First Nations “coming hat in hand all the time to the government,” according to various media reports.

He later issued an apology for the comment.

Seguin was asked about the relationship between Indigenous communities and governments, and admitted there is a bit of “lack of education” that gets in the way sometimes.

But Segion politely said “getting into politics” isn’t something he wanted to do at the celebration.

“It’s not the place or day to do it,” he said.

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