About 40 people gathered at the break of dawn Saturday along the Atlantic coast near Louisbourg, N.S., for a Mi'kmaw sunrise ceremony to kick off National Indigenous Peoples Day.

The ceremony was led by Eskasoni First Nation Elder Lottie Johnson, who said it's meant for all people to share.

But as a residential school survivor, Johnson said the ceremony holds extra meaning for her.

"It's a very special time. It's quiet and as the sun comes up, you see the creation of [the] creator. Everything is s…