Walking Together in Partnership with Indigenous Communities

June is National Indigenous History Month and The Salvation Army continues to honour its commitment to implementing the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Meeting people where they are, without discrimination, and building respectful relationships has always been part of the mandate and mission of The Salvation Army. We gladly walk hand in hand with our Indigenous members and communities toward reconciliation.

June 21, 2026, was National Indigenous Peoples Day; a day to highlight the accomplishments and traditions of Indigenous Peoples across this vast country. Captain Crystal Porter, Indigenous Ministries Consultant for The Salvation Army, explains that several initiatives have taken place to celebrate Indigenous culture within The Salvation Army since National Indigenous Peoples Day in 2025. At Pine Lake Camp in Alberta, a celebration of Indigenous culture was held last summer resulting in learnings and many personal discoveries. This year’s, themed Living Knowledge: The Stories that Carry Us, event will take place in August at Pine Lake Camp.

Here in the Atlantic Division, Indigenous culture has been marked and celebrated in several ways. At the Ches Penney Centre of Hope, a learning opportunity took place this spring under the facilitation of Captain Porter to mark the Red Dress Day campaign. It was a beading workshop held as a staff team building activity and a small group had the opportunity to try their hand at the beautiful art of creating Indigenous beadwork.

Several reconciliation circles have taken place in various communities where people have had the chance to sit and chat about what reconciliation looks like in our unique places of ministry, and particularly in our camping ministry. In Newfoundland and Labrador, intentional conversations have been taking place with the Indigenous Peoples of both Goose Bay and the area of Labrador West.

Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) has also embraced Indigenous culture in the spirit of team building and connection. EDS Atlantic included a smudging ceremony at its regional team meetings in Halifax in November 2025. The ceremony was performed at the end of the training event as a special closing and was facilitated by a paramedic. It was an opportunity to experience a different approach to cleansing the mind, body, and spirit. Participants were able to share their thoughts and feelings as part of the ceremony, providing an opportunity for team connection and personal reflection.

Finally, in April 2026, General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham made their first visit to the Atlantic Division by spending a few days in St. John’s, N.L. as part of the International Leaders’ Territorial “Jesus Our Compass” Tour. While in St. John’s, the Sunday gathering started with a Land Acknowledgement facilitated by First Light – St. John’s Friendship Centre. This beautiful video reflected on the presence of many Indigenous groups in the Atlantic region.

This month, we acknowledge the important place Indigenous Peoples hold in our communities and in The Salvation Army.

To learn more about The Salvation Army’s Indigenous Ministries and to find resources, click here.