Indigenous students transform Quebec school grounds into a living land acknowledgement – CBC

May 15, 2026

Indigenous students in Gatineau hosted a hands-on celebration of Cree, Algonquin, and Inuit culture

A drumbeat anchors a crowd of students on a windy day and students, dressed in colourful regalia, dance before hundreds of their peers. For the Indigenous students of Gatineau’s Philemon Wright High School, this wasn’t just a performance — it was a reclamation of the school grounds.

For Kayley Swallow, from the Cree Nation of Wemindiji, the afternoon was more than a land acknowledgement. It was a chance to see Indigenous culture represented in a place where those students rarely see their identities reflected.

“My great-grandma went to the school. I think she’d think of this [as an] opportunity for me to express our culture and our way of life,” said Swallow.

Read More: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/land-acknowledgement-festival-philemon-wright-9.7199346