NationTalk: OTTAWA – For the third consecutive year, Canada Post will celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21 by issuing three stamps honouring Indigenous leaders.
Elisapie, Josephine Mandamin and Christi Belcourt will each be featured on a stamp for their environmental advocacy and championing the rights and cultures of their Inuit, First Nations and Métis communities.
The multi-year stamp series, launched in 2022, recognizes Indigenous leaders who have dedicated their lives to preserving their culture and improving the quality of life of Indigenous Peoples in Canada. Each stamp will be unveiled and celebrated at local events in Montréal, Quebec, and Thunder Bay and Ottawa, Ontario.
Elisapie stamp unveiling event: Thursday, June 13, 5 pm ET, Montréal
Elisapie (b. Elisapie Isaac, 1977) is an award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, director, producer and activist from Salluit, in Nunavik (northern Quebec). A talented storyteller who writes and sings in Inuktitut, English and French, she has devoted her life to raising awareness of Inuit language, heritage and culture through many artistic endeavours. Elisapie earned her second JUNO Award in 2024 for Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year for her album, Inuktitut. She is also an acclaimed documentarian, multi-Félix Award winner and creator of Le grand solstice, a musical and cultural celebration televised annually for National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Josephine Mandamin stamp unveiling event: Tuesday, June 18, 11 am ET, Thunder Bay, Ont.
Josephine Mandamin (1942-2019) was born on the Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, Ont. A residential school Survivor, Mandamin was an Anishinaabe Elder and world-renowned water-rights activist. Known as Grandmother Water Walker, Mandamin co-founded the Mother Earth Water Walk movement to draw attention to the issues of water pollution and environmental degradation in the Great Lakes and on First Nations reserves across the country. Among her many accolades are the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation (2015) and the Meritorious Service Cross – Civil Division (2017). Since her passing in 2019, Mandamin’s legacy has continued through community water walks and the efforts of the dedicated Anishinaabe women she mentored.
Christi Belcourt stamp celebration: Tuesday, June 25, 11 am ET, Ottawa
Christi Belcourt (b. 1966) is a Métis visual artist and environmentalist known for her intricate paintings that emulate Métis floral beadwork. Born in Scarborough, Ont. and raised in Ottawa, she is a descendant of the Métis community of Manitow Sâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) in Alberta. Belcourt uses her talent to celebrate nature, honour her ancestors, advocate for the protection of land and water, and support Indigenous knowledge, culture and language. Among her most poignant works is Walking With Our Sisters, an installation of more than 2,000 pairs of beaded moccasin tops honouring the lives of missing or murdered Indigenous women, Two-Spirit people and children.
The new stamps and collectibles will be available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada starting June 21.
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