{"id":878358,"date":"2026-08-31T15:36:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:36:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/878358\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T15:36:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:36:34","slug":"rain-washes-out-katarokwi-indigenous-market-but-one-ottawa-vendor-stays-the-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/878358\/","title":{"rendered":"Rain washes out Katarokwi Indigenous Market, but one Ottawa vendor stays the course"},"content":{"rendered":"

Morning rain stopped Sunday\u2019s Katarokwi Indigenous Market in Confederation Park before it even began.<\/p>\n

No food, no music, no ceremonial drumming, no sacred fire and no vendors \u2014 except one.<\/p>\n

Dawn Binda, owner of Beads at First Light, travelled from Ottawa for what was supposed to be the second-last market of the season. When she arrived, she found an almost deserted waterfront.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got here and it was empty. There was no one. Nobody came,\u201d Binda said.<\/p>\n

The monthly market, organized by the City of Kingston, usually showcases Indigenous artists, artisans, musicians and food vendors. It is held on the last Sunday of each month from May through September and coincides with community-led Sacred Fires in Confederation Park.<\/p>\n

These fires honour children who remain missing, residential school survivors and families affected by the legacy of residential schools.<\/p>\n

The market returned this year after a one-year hiatus in 2025 that followed a change in management. It had previously been run by Tourism Kingston and the Kingston Native Centre and Language Nest before responsibility shifted to the city under Manager of Indigenous Initiatives Amber Bryant-Peller.<\/p>\n

\t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n

By noon, the rain had eased, but all other vendors stayed home.<\/p>\n

Binda, however, remained for the day under a tent with her mother, Diana Oelrich, and sister, Denise Oelrich, keeping warm with sweaters, blankets and each other\u2019s company \u2014 as curious parkgoers stopped to ask where the Indigenous market had gone.<\/p>\n

Binda\u2019s craft is beaded earrings, which she displayed in a variety of colours and designs, including miniature red dresses and orange dresses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe red dress represents the missing and murdered Indigenous women and the orange ones are for Every Child Matters,\u201d Diana Oelrich said.<\/p>\n

The red dress has become a powerful symbol of the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people.<\/p>\n

The symbolism grew from the REDress Project, an art installation created in 2010 by M\u00e9tis artist Jaime Black-Morsette, who hung empty red dresses to represent the absence of those who have been lost to violence.<\/p>\n

The project later inspired Red Dress Day<\/a>, observed each year on May 5. The red dresses are intended to evoke what Black-Morsette has described as a \u201cpresence through absence,\u201d while the colour red carries spiritual significance in many Indigenous cultures.<\/p>\n

Binda began making earrings about eight months ago while balancing her work as a clerk with the mental health and addictions nursing team at CHEO in Ottawa.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been with that team for two years, but I\u2019ve been with CHEO for four years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Although she identifies with her father\u2019s Nlaka\u2019pamux and Salish heritage from British Columbia, Binda said she is still waiting for a decision on her application for Indian status.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile other relatives who put their applications in the same envelope as mine and already have their status, I\u2019m still waiting.\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her sister received status nearly two years ago despite the applications being submitted at the same time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019d like to know,\u201d Binda said when asked why her application has taken longer. \u201cThey have been very evasive when we inquire.\u201d<\/p>\n

The family\u2019s story reflects the complexities of status registration under the Indian Act.<\/p>\n

Denise Oelrich said previous generations in the family were affected by historic provisions that stripped many Indigenous women of status if they married non-Indigenous men.<\/p>\n

Amendments introduced through Bill C-31 in 1985 restored status to many women and descendants, but also created the modern registration categories commonly known as Sections 6(1) and 6(2), alongside the so-called second-generation cut-off.<\/p>\n

Under those rules, status entitlement can end after two successive generations of parenting with a non-status partner.<\/p>\n

The afternoon also offered a rare chance for the family to spend time together. Denise Oelrich said she is only now beginning to resume normal activities after a prolonged health battle that included necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh-eating disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a lot of surgery. An enormous amount of surgery,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She spent time in intensive care, underwent a medically induced coma and remained hospitalized for about a month before beginning rehabilitation and ongoing wound care.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been an interesting couple of years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Despite Sunday\u2019s disappointment, there is still one more opportunity this season for residents to visit the market.<\/p>\n

The final Katarokwi Indigenous Market<\/a> is scheduled for Sept. 27 in Confederation Park, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Kingston\u2019s waterfront.<\/p>\n

bihall@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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