Chief Joe Pierre of the ʔaq̓am community of the Ktunaxa First Nation, helped Cranbrook mark National Indigenous Peoples Day, Sunday, June 21, by greeting passing motorists in the spirit of the occasion on the highwayside through Cranbrook.
In 2016, Canada adopted The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is its framework for reconciliation at all levels and across all sectors of Canadian society. The Declaration recognizes Indigenous peoples’ basic human rights, as well as rights to self-determination, language, equality and land, among others.
The Ktunaxa, also known as Kootenay, have occupied the lands adjacent to the Kootenay and Columbia rivers and the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, Canada for more than 10,000 years. The Ktunaxa Nation continues to be a strong and thriving community. Today there are more than 1,500 citizens (ʔaqⱡsmaknik̓).