'We all share this land': Tatanga Day festivities hosted in Regina

Tatanga Day Celebrations took over Regina's Buffalo Narrows Park on Monday. (Hallee Mandryk/CTV News)

The Buffalo People Arts Institute hosted a Tatanga Day Festival and Powwow on Monday, at Regina’s Buffalo Meadows Park.

The event was an opportunity for folks to celebrate and acknowledge Indigenous history on July 1st.

Festivities kicked off with a pipe ceremony and a tipi raising, beginning bright and early in the morning.

“It’s about coming together being together with people who wanna celebrate the Indigenous culture,” Buffalo People Arts Institute co-founder Lorne Kequahtooway explained.

“You know it goes hand-in-hand with the celebrations of Canada Day, which are at another place in the city here and that’s fine. People can go to both. We all walk on this land. We all share this land. It’s just our way of celebrating our culture.”

Throughout the day, activities such as face painting, storytelling, a feast, and performances were open to the public.

A street mural was also created as the day went on. The image of a white buffalo was created on Dewdney Avenue thanks to the work of many volunteers.

“Buffalo people Arts Institute is all about bringing the Buffalo back spiritually, physically, emotionally, and so the mural is like a celebration of that,” volunteer coordinator Savannah Kostiniuk told CTV News.

“It’s really a great way to celebrate the community in a really positive way.”

The mural was created within one day with a combination of chalk and paints. However, the creation was short lived.

Due to safety concerns, the City of Regina cleans it off the street at the end of the day.