A local Metis woman has decided to do something loud in Ile de Chenes to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day.

Janessa Roy has recently discovered the joy of her culture’s Red River Jig and has been learning it via YouTube and zoom classes. Ans she was looking for a video to share with her French students from Blumenort School and stumbled upon a video of a woman jigging and she was hooked.

‘I saw this lady and I got goosebumps. I got a little teary-eyed, and she did something to me and I just thought, I need to learn how to do this.’

And in that short time, Roy has become proficient enough that she will be sharing her newfound love of her culture with others on Monday, June 21st in honour of Indigenous Peoples Day.

Roy will be packing up her jigging skirt, some jigging shoes, a speaker, a flag, and some orange balloons to dance on the Ritchot bridge in Ile de Chenes.

Roy wanted to do something loud in recognition of residential schools and will be dancing at 7 PM.

In her desire to share her pride in her Metis heritage, Roy says she wants to be loud about it and honour her culture.

‘I am absolutely doing this because I'm trying to honour the missing children, the families who are left behind, and the survivors of Canada's residential schools. That is largely who I'm dedicating this day to. But in addition to that, there's a huge piece of me that also feels that I need to dance for the children who are here today and for the children who are not here yet for the children of the future. Because my hope, my goal is that by putting myself out there that people will just see that it's OK to be proud.’

She has embraced the theme ‘Steps Towards Change’ and performing her jig on the bridge is her way of bringing people together. In a Facebook post, Roy quoted the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, Perry Bellegarde, ‘It is important we get to know each other, appreciate and celebrate our diversity, and build bridges of understanding’

Roy believes that healing can occur and plans on doing that by dancing a jig. ‘ I believe that we can heal the future by doing things like dancing like celebrating each other and acknowledging just each other.’

Roy will be dancing on Monday, June 21st at 7 PM on the Ritchot bridge in Ile de Chenes and invites anyone to attend.