Indigenous cultural group fosters community among growing population – DurhamRegion.com
June 12, 2026
Susan Byrne was well into her 30s when she discovered she is Indigenous.
Although she was born in Newfoundland, she has lived in Durham since the early 1990s. After discovering around 2016 that she has Mi’kmaq heritage, she began what she called a very personal and extremely emotional journey of self-discovery.
Now the president of Bawaajigewin Aboriginal Community Circle, Durham’s only Indigenous-led community organization, she is helping foster a community and retain cultural traditions for Durham’s growing Indigenous population — many of whom are discovering their roots later in life, like Byrne.
