National Aboriginal Day Welcome Address by Tiger Lane, Mato Gi, Brown Bear, Age 10

Welcome Address To Surrey Public School District Students, Teachers, Staff, Parents and Guests at White Rock Elementary School, June 17, 2011

Welcome to National Aboriginal Day !

My name is Tiger Lane. I am a member of the White Swan Dakota Oyate and Chickasaw First Nations. My Ihanktonwan Dakota name is Mato Gi. It means Brown Bear. It was my grandfather's name. He gave it to me before he died.

I would like to give you all a warm White Rock welcome to National Aboriginal Day here at White Rock Elementary School. Thank you for coming to our school. This day is a special time for all Canadians to celebrate the unique cultures and contributions to Canada of First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples.

For instance, in the Algonquin language Canada means Village, in the Cree language, Canada means clean.

The place where we are gathered today is actually called Semiahmoo by the Coast Salish. It has three meanings, Half Moon, because of our half moon shaped bay, Surrounded by Water, because it is easy to see water everywhere around us, and Hole in the Sky. It is called Hold in the Sky because any times when it is cold, rainy and cloudy everywhere else on the lower mainland, it is warm and sunny here in White Rock.

Thank you again for coming to join us here at White Rock Elementary School for our celebration of National Aboriginal Day, 2011. I hope you have a great time and enjoy learning many interesting and good things about our Aboriginal Peoples and cultures. Let's hope we have a wonderful, Semiahmoo, Hole in the Sky, Day! With NO rain!

Thank you!