Saskatoon Indigenous and Palestinian communities gather in collective prayer for Gaza

Sask. man's family safely out of Gaza WATCH: After weeks of worrying about his wife and children, a Prince Albert man received word they made it safely out of Gaza.

On Saturday, in a display of cross-cultural solidarity, members of the Indigenous and Palestinian communities gathered in Saskatoon for an event steeped in prayer and dance.

The ceremony, titled "Prayers Against Oppression" and "Prayers for Palestine," was held in an effort to bring awareness to global struggles for autonomy and peace.

Ashley Shingoose is the organizer of the service, which she stresses is not a protest.

"It was just really important to get together for a prayer," said Shingoose.

Opening with prayers by Marjorie Beaucage, attendees took the opportunity to heal.

"I always felt that it was a sticky situation to say healing because that gives the impression the trauma is over, but the trauma is not over, it’s still ongoing," said Shingoose.

Food Not Bombs, a local advocacy organization, provided meals to protestors and catered to the event.

The prayer event was followed shortly after by a pro-Palestinian protest, organizers stress that the two events are intended to be separate.