This program will also feature the 2020 Celebration of Nations Outstanding Achievement Awards that will honour some very special people whose participation in Celebration of Nations programs and sustained commitment to truth and reconciliation have helped to establish this event as a nationally recognized Indigenous arts and intellectual gathering. 

2019 recipients include: 

Santee Smith (Kahnyen’kehàka (Mohawk) Nation, Turtle Clan) – Outstanding Achievement in Performing Arts

Sam Thomas (Lower Cayuga Band of the Iroquois Nation)  – Outstanding Achievement in Visual Arts 

Susan Aglukark (Inuit)  – Outstanding Achievement in Intellectual Advancement 

Gary Parker (Tonawanda Seneca Nation) – Outstanding Achievement in Language and Culture

Larry McDermott (Algonquin) – Outstanding Achievement in Empathic Traditions 

Walter Sendzik (Mayor of the City of St. Catharines) – Outstanding Achievement for the Two Row Alliance

Photograph © MarkZelinski.com