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Indigenous dancers perform a traditional powwow dance during the Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre’s National Indigenous Peoples Day celebration in downtown North Battleford on Friday, June 19 2026. (Image Credit: Alyssa Rudolph/battlefordsNOW)
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY pancake breakfast

Pancakes and Treaty 6 pride draw hundreds to downtown North Battleford

Jun 19, 2026 | 4:41 PM

The smell of pancakes filled downtown North Battleford on Friday morning as students, workers, families and community members gathered to celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day through food, music, dance and culture.

The annual pancake breakfast hosted by the Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre drew crowds to the city’s downtown core, where Indigenous performers, vendors and community organizations came together for a morning of celebration.


(Image Credit: battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: battlefordsNOW staff)

“For Battle River Treaty 6 Health Centre, the Indigenous Peoples Day Pancake Breakfast means we get to share with the community of North Battleford our friendships, our partnerships, and to come together and enjoy a beautiful daylight today and celebrate together the heritage and the culture of First Nations and Indigenous people,” said executive director Patricia Whitecalf.

“We get to showcase our culture.”

The event featured dancers from Sweetgrass First Nation and Sakewew School, music from Kaycee and Lance, the Little Pine Dancers and the Horse Trail Drum Group and Singers from Poundmaker Cree Nation.

The celebration comes during a milestone year marking the 150th anniversary of Treaty 6, a connection Whitecalf said adds further meaning to the gathering.


(Image Credit: Alyssa Rudolph/battlefordsNOW)

(Image Credit: battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: battlefordsNOW staff)

The breakfast has become a longstanding tradition in the community. Whitecalf estimated the health centre has hosted the event for about 15 years, aside from a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attendance has grown steadily over the years. Whitecalf said previous events have attracted roughly 1,200 people, requiring them to prepare thousands of pancakes.

For her, however, the event’s success is measured less by numbers than by the opportunity to bring people together.

“I just want everybody to come and enjoy themselves, to enjoy our entertainment, to enjoy each other’s company,” she said.

“And I just want to wish them all a wonderful day.”


(Image Credit: Alyssa Rudolph/battlefordsNOW)

(Image Credit: battlefordsNOW staff)

(Image Credit: battlefordsNOW staff)

cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com