About 50 people gathered for a day of learning, feasting and dancing at the Celebration of Culture Sept. 20, 2025, at Northridge Community Church in Aurora, Ontario, Canada.

The Celebration of Culture, a partnership between Indigenous Pathways and The Salvation Army, is an opportunity for all nations to gather and learn from Indigenous peoples as we journey together toward right relationship.

"The journey and the partnership that we’ve had between the Salvation Army and Indigenous Pathways requires consistent, faithful engagement as we learn together and build better relations,” said Shari Russell, director of NAIITS and an ordained officer in The Salvation Army.

NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community is a member of the Indigenous Pathways family, alongside iEmergence.

This year's Celebration of Culture looked a little different than past years’ events.

The Reconciliation Learning Day featured teachings shared by NAIITS Elders Liaison Adrian Jacobs, conversation circles that created space to talk about reconciliation and right relations and an evening concert by Jonathan Maracle of Broken Walls.

During the gathering, Adrian invited participants to “step in the right direction, moving toward Indigenous people and understanding.”

For more about the Celebration of Culture, see video highlights of the gathering shared by Salvationist Magazine.