CANADA
Trudeau says 'denialism' rising as nation marks holiday for indigenous reconciliationReuters
Updated Sat, September 30, 2023
PM Trudeau visits Lac La Ronge
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday warned about the rise of "denialism" and said uncovering the truth was more important than ever as the nation gathered to honor the lost children and survivors of indigenous schools.
Trudeau's statement was made on National Truth and Reconciliation Day, which recognizes the legacy of the residential schools, which operated between 1831 and 1996 and removed about 150,000 indigenous children from their families. Some were subjected to abuse, rape and malnutrition at schools in what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015 called "cultural genocide."
"We must never forget the past and the injustices committed against Indigenous Peoples at residential schools, as well as the intergenerational trauma that remains today," Trudeau said in a statement. "Right now, with denialism sadly on the rise, uncovering the whole truth is more important than ever."
Canada's indigenous peoples suffer from higher levels of poverty and violence, and shorter life expectancies.
Trudeau had drawn criticism on the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in 2021 for flying to the west coast with his family shortly after his after his own government designated the day as a federal holiday.
(Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Toronto; Editing by Leslie Adler)
'Doesn't mean a lot without action': Reflections on Canada's third National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30
While efforts to raise awareness are underway, it doesn't appear to be leading to much systemic change, according to experts who spoke to Yahoo Canada.
Elianna Lev
Fri, September 29, 2023
People attend the second annual Orange Shirt Day Survivors Walk and PowWow on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Friday, September 30, 2022. The Manitoba government will not make Orange Shirt Day a statutory holiday this year. Premier Heather Stefanson says consultations are ongoing and there is still not a consensus on how the day should be marked.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/John WoodsMore
On Sept. 30, Canada will mark the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), intended for Canadians to honour survivors of residential schools, and those who never made it home.
Many across the country will commemorate the day in their communities with pow-wows, ceremonies and special services, while some federal buildings like the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill will be illuminated in orange. Canadian brands like Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire are selling orange sprinkle donuts and orange T-shirts, respectively, to raise money for Indigenous charities.
But while the efforts to raise awareness are underway, it doesn't appear to be leading to much systemic change, according to experts who spoke to Yahoo Canada.
Dr. Suzanne Stewart is a psychologist and professor of public health at University of Toronto, and a member of the Yellowknife Dene First Nation. She says that it’s a positive thing to see Indigenous reconciliation on the consciousness of the national landscape, but awareness and recognition are only going to get the country so far.
“Awareness doesn’t mean a lot without action and behavioural change,” Stewart says.
Over the past several years, there have been some steps towards change as a result of awareness. Toronto Metropolitan University is a prominent example: The university formally changed its name from Ryerson, whose namesake, Egerton Ryerson had ties to residential schools. Prior to the inaugural NDTR, statues and monuments for controversial figures with ties to residential schools started coming down across the country, and several public schools have been renamed.
But Stewart points out that if we take a deeper look, things are not improving for Indigenous communities when it comes to the discrimination they continually face in healthcare, social services, education, and in the justice system.
“While we have these nice sanitary things like donuts with orange on them, are these real things that matter and are affecting and saving our lives or improving the quality of life for Indigenous people happening right now? No, they aren’t,” she says. “In fact they’re getting worse.”
On Sept. 30, Canada will mark the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (NDTR), intended for Canadians to honour survivors of residential schools, and those who never made it home.
Many across the country will commemorate the day in their communities with pow-wows, ceremonies and special services, while some federal buildings like the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill will be illuminated in orange. Canadian brands like Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire are selling orange sprinkle donuts and orange T-shirts, respectively, to raise money for Indigenous charities.
But while the efforts to raise awareness are underway, it doesn't appear to be leading to much systemic change, according to experts who spoke to Yahoo Canada.
Dr. Suzanne Stewart is a psychologist and professor of public health at University of Toronto, and a member of the Yellowknife Dene First Nation. She says that it’s a positive thing to see Indigenous reconciliation on the consciousness of the national landscape, but awareness and recognition are only going to get the country so far.
“Awareness doesn’t mean a lot without action and behavioural change,” Stewart says.
Over the past several years, there have been some steps towards change as a result of awareness. Toronto Metropolitan University is a prominent example: The university formally changed its name from Ryerson, whose namesake, Egerton Ryerson had ties to residential schools. Prior to the inaugural NDTR, statues and monuments for controversial figures with ties to residential schools started coming down across the country, and several public schools have been renamed.
But Stewart points out that if we take a deeper look, things are not improving for Indigenous communities when it comes to the discrimination they continually face in healthcare, social services, education, and in the justice system.
“While we have these nice sanitary things like donuts with orange on them, are these real things that matter and are affecting and saving our lives or improving the quality of life for Indigenous people happening right now? No, they aren’t,” she says. “In fact they’re getting worse.”
Sherry Starr and Wab Kinew lead the grand entrance at the second annual Orange Shirt Day Survivors Walk and Pow Wow on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Winnipeg, Friday, September 30, 2022.
John Woods (The Canadian Press)
According to Homelessness Hub, a web-based research library and information centre, Indigenous people across the country are disproportionately affected by homelessness. A 2021 report from the City of Toronto, for example, found that Indigenous people make up 2.5 per cent of the city's population, yet 15 per cent of people experiencing homelessness.
A 2019 StatCan report found that suicide rates among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit were significantly higher than that among non-Indigenous people. The report showed that compared to the rate of non-Indigenous people, the risk of suicide was 1.6 times higher among Métis people, three times higher for First Nations people and nine times higher for Inuit people.
Buying a donut with orange sprinkles on it isn’t alleviating the realities our communities face, on reserve and off reserve.
Graham Paradis is a citizen of the Métis nation and a researcher with Archipel Research and Consulting. He says the most important and positive thing to come away with on NDTR is education and it appears people are learning about the issues faced by Indigenous communities.
“I think the more we’re able to educate the non-Indigenous population about our stories, our history, our present and foreseeable future, the better we can come to reconciling with Canada as a whole,” he says.
Paradis says public events for NDTR are an important way for people to interact with Indigenous communities and understand why things are the way they are and how things got that way. However, Canadians should try to recognize and avoid resting on the laurels of feel-good incentives.
“Buying a donut with orange sprinkles on it isn’t alleviating the realities our communities face, on reserve and off reserve,” Paradis says. “An orange donut ain’t fixing that any time soon.”
He admits it’s tough to pinpoint what non-Indigenous Canadians can do to affect more concrete change, aside from educating themselves, voting and showing up as allies.
And while most Canadians might feel good about concrete changes that are being made, like the fact that NDTR happens every year, or schools are being renamed, Paradis says that’s where they might get complicit.
“They’re not going to see the situation on reserve, they’re not going to see that nothing has changed within an Indigenous community,” he says. “It almost puts blinders on the average public and that’s what we need to be careful of with these types of celebrations and actions. That people don’t get comfortable and complicit.”
I don’t want it to become a performative day where people are just wearing orange shirts and showing up for a day.
Jaelyn Terriak, an Inuk researcher and facilitator with Archipel, also has mixed feelings about NDTR.
While she thinks it's important to have a day for people to educate themselves on the truth about the country's history and have important conversations, she hopes Canadians are committed to doing more work beyond the one day, when it comes to reconciliation.
“I don’t want it to become a performative day where people are just wearing orange shirts and showing up for a day but there’s nothing happening behind their actions,” she says. “Whether it’s individuals or organizations, we have to go beyond the truth part and there needs to be more actions.”
Terriak says that includes everything from donating to Indigenous organizations to having conversations with problematic family members to reading books about colonialism.
“Learn about settler colonialism, learn about capitalism and how that affects our communities,” she says. “Things just need to go a step further.”
Like Terriak, Stewart says that NDTR is a good step toward bringing awareness but it can’t stop there. She advises Canadians to become familiar with the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“Change is a multi-level process that’s nonlinear,” she says. “And the next stage of change is about mobilizing our resources to make the change that we need to make. That involves bringing people together, strengthening relationships, learning about colonial history and its impacts on ourselves and other people in our community including Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.”
According to Homelessness Hub, a web-based research library and information centre, Indigenous people across the country are disproportionately affected by homelessness. A 2021 report from the City of Toronto, for example, found that Indigenous people make up 2.5 per cent of the city's population, yet 15 per cent of people experiencing homelessness.
A 2019 StatCan report found that suicide rates among First Nations people, Métis and Inuit were significantly higher than that among non-Indigenous people. The report showed that compared to the rate of non-Indigenous people, the risk of suicide was 1.6 times higher among Métis people, three times higher for First Nations people and nine times higher for Inuit people.
Buying a donut with orange sprinkles on it isn’t alleviating the realities our communities face, on reserve and off reserve.
Graham Paradis is a citizen of the Métis nation and a researcher with Archipel Research and Consulting. He says the most important and positive thing to come away with on NDTR is education and it appears people are learning about the issues faced by Indigenous communities.
“I think the more we’re able to educate the non-Indigenous population about our stories, our history, our present and foreseeable future, the better we can come to reconciling with Canada as a whole,” he says.
Paradis says public events for NDTR are an important way for people to interact with Indigenous communities and understand why things are the way they are and how things got that way. However, Canadians should try to recognize and avoid resting on the laurels of feel-good incentives.
“Buying a donut with orange sprinkles on it isn’t alleviating the realities our communities face, on reserve and off reserve,” Paradis says. “An orange donut ain’t fixing that any time soon.”
He admits it’s tough to pinpoint what non-Indigenous Canadians can do to affect more concrete change, aside from educating themselves, voting and showing up as allies.
And while most Canadians might feel good about concrete changes that are being made, like the fact that NDTR happens every year, or schools are being renamed, Paradis says that’s where they might get complicit.
“They’re not going to see the situation on reserve, they’re not going to see that nothing has changed within an Indigenous community,” he says. “It almost puts blinders on the average public and that’s what we need to be careful of with these types of celebrations and actions. That people don’t get comfortable and complicit.”
I don’t want it to become a performative day where people are just wearing orange shirts and showing up for a day.
Jaelyn Terriak, an Inuk researcher and facilitator with Archipel, also has mixed feelings about NDTR.
While she thinks it's important to have a day for people to educate themselves on the truth about the country's history and have important conversations, she hopes Canadians are committed to doing more work beyond the one day, when it comes to reconciliation.
“I don’t want it to become a performative day where people are just wearing orange shirts and showing up for a day but there’s nothing happening behind their actions,” she says. “Whether it’s individuals or organizations, we have to go beyond the truth part and there needs to be more actions.”
Terriak says that includes everything from donating to Indigenous organizations to having conversations with problematic family members to reading books about colonialism.
“Learn about settler colonialism, learn about capitalism and how that affects our communities,” she says. “Things just need to go a step further.”
Like Terriak, Stewart says that NDTR is a good step toward bringing awareness but it can’t stop there. She advises Canadians to become familiar with the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
“Change is a multi-level process that’s nonlinear,” she says. “And the next stage of change is about mobilizing our resources to make the change that we need to make. That involves bringing people together, strengthening relationships, learning about colonial history and its impacts on ourselves and other people in our community including Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.”
Opinion
Canadian residential school deaths significantly higher than previously reported
Terri Cardinal, MacEwan University
Fri, September 29, 2023
A Canadian flag is hung up side down as a protest for the 215 children buried in an unmarked mass grave on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kahnawake reserve, Canada, in 2021.
File Photo by Andre Pichette/EPA-EFE
Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Over the past year, I have worked at University nuhelot'įne thaiyots'į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills as the Indian Residential School Coordinator. There, I spent time speaking with survivors of Indian Residential Schools and I also helped conduct a search for grave sites of missing children.
Listening to the truths of residential school survivors was a stark reminder that we need to continue educating people about what happened at these schools, both for Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks. I also learned and reflected on the mortality at Indian Residential Schools across Canada.
Over 150,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children attended Indian Residential Schools and although the official records are incomplete, it is estimated that thousands of children died at those schools.
Between 1931 and 1996, there were 139 Indian Residential Schools operating in Canada. In 2019, the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation shared the names of 2,800 children who had died in those schools. At that time, it was believed that there were still an additional 1,600 unnamed children.
As communities have continued to push for searches across the country, the numbers have kept growing. The most recent collective findings from community searches across the country (versus the official numbers of recorded deaths) suggest that the number of deaths may be much greater than those originally reported.
A father and his children walk near a tribute in front of the Catholic St-Franics Xavier Mission for the 215 children buried in an unmarked mass grave on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kahnawake reserve, Canada, in 2021.
Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Over the past year, I have worked at University nuhelot'įne thaiyots'į nistameyimâkanak Blue Quills as the Indian Residential School Coordinator. There, I spent time speaking with survivors of Indian Residential Schools and I also helped conduct a search for grave sites of missing children.
Listening to the truths of residential school survivors was a stark reminder that we need to continue educating people about what happened at these schools, both for Indigenous and non-Indigenous folks. I also learned and reflected on the mortality at Indian Residential Schools across Canada.
Over 150,000 First Nation, Métis and Inuit children attended Indian Residential Schools and although the official records are incomplete, it is estimated that thousands of children died at those schools.
Between 1931 and 1996, there were 139 Indian Residential Schools operating in Canada. In 2019, the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation shared the names of 2,800 children who had died in those schools. At that time, it was believed that there were still an additional 1,600 unnamed children.
As communities have continued to push for searches across the country, the numbers have kept growing. The most recent collective findings from community searches across the country (versus the official numbers of recorded deaths) suggest that the number of deaths may be much greater than those originally reported.
A father and his children walk near a tribute in front of the Catholic St-Franics Xavier Mission for the 215 children buried in an unmarked mass grave on the grounds of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kahnawake reserve, Canada, in 2021.
File Photo by Andre Pichette/EPA-EFE
These new findings support the accounts residential school survivors have been sharing for decades and provides context into the severity of the genocide enacted on Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
In July 2022, Pope Francis affirmed these accounts and called the Indian Residential Schools an act of genocide.
These new findings support the accounts residential school survivors have been sharing for decades and provides context into the severity of the genocide enacted on Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
In July 2022, Pope Francis affirmed these accounts and called the Indian Residential Schools an act of genocide.
A photo released by the National Center for Truth and Reconciliation at the University of Manitoba reportedly shows a gathering at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada in 1937. The school operated from 1890 through 1978 as a place to force youth from Indigenous tribes into giving up their language and culture.
Photo courtesy of National Center for Truth and Reconciliation/EPA-EFE
However, in the midst of uncovering the truths through these searches, we are experiencing denialism. Despite the irrefutable evidence, there are still those who deny or refuse to acknowledge the abuse and deaths of Indigenous children in residential schools.
Survivor testimonies
The Reconciliation totem pole carved by James Hart (7idansuu), Haida master carver and Hereditary Chief is purified by first nations women with cedar boughs before being erected on the Main Mall at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 2017. The totem pole represents survivors of Canada's residential school system.
File Photo by Heinz Ruckemann/UPIMore
Last summer, UnBQ collaborated with the University of Alberta Indigenous-led team, to conduct a Phase 1 search of the former Blue Quills Indian Residential School near St. Paul, Alberta. Our initial findings released publicly on April 19 identified 19 "reflections of interest" on 1.29 acres of land.
The term "reflections of interest" is used to describe traits that are similar in ground- penetrating radar data. The reason this term was used at UnBQ was because prior to the release of the report they had not done GPR scans of nearby cemetery sites that would give them a more clear comparison. Once that process has been completed, the terminology will likely change in the Phase 2 report.
Over the course of the year, survivors have also shared areas of interest that will need further investigating. This is only the start of the search process as UnBQ is located on 240 acres of land.
Addressing denialism
In-depth measuring of the deaths of residential school students is critical to research and communities to help provide clearer understandings of the lives of these children across Canada.
It is also a potential way to address denialists who may question whether the number of deaths is excessive.
Denialists may argue that uncovering a certain number of graves is not indicative of problematic conditions in the schools. And that data, based on counts, is subject to distortion.
For example, it could be argued that mortality occurs in all populations and that schools with large populations in operation over long periods would encounter deaths and therefore, the occurrence of a number of deaths is not problematic.
However, there are quantitative methods that can help address these issues.
A good example is the standardized mortality ratio. This ratio involves calculating the number of expected deaths in residential schools based on reported death rates in the Canadian population during the same time period among children of the same ages based on historical data.
Although we have no public data that details the full scope of mortality rates for Indigenous children in residential schools, calculations such as the standardized mortality ratio can help us fully document how many Indigenous children died.
Indigenous scholars, leaders and survivors have long known that the number of deaths of children in residential schools was substantial. Now, as new research and data is produced, we will continue to see the official numbers grow.
Compassion as we mourn
As the daughter of a residential school survivor and a relative to many who attended Blue Quills Indian Residential School, it's horrible to have to address denialism during this time of mourning and healing in our communities.
Shortly after unmarked graves were uncovered at the Kamloops residential school, my father, Joe Cardinal, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation shared with me his wish that we continue to educate people on the beauty of our culture.
My father survived so I can live and experience love. I honor his wish by learning, unlearning and educating in systems that were not made for me. Education is healing and it offers people an opportunity to understand, unlearn and relearn the truths of this country.
My father once told me:
"We are here to show the next generation what our ancestors were taught, the values of respecting one another, loving one another, helping one another. That's what we need, we need to come back to that."
The findings across this country create opportunity for healing and addressing unresolved grief. The intergenerational trauma of residential schools has interrupted and challenged our Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.
In listening to the stories shared throughout this process, I have come to recognize that this work has created opportunities for healing in a trauma-informed and culturally appropriate way.
Indigenous communities hold the knowledge required to heal. We don't need to be researched and rescued. We need to be more compassionate with one another, as people, but also as practitioners working with Indigenous families.
The stories that Indigenous Peoples tell are sacred. The accounts residential school survivors and their families share are sacred. Those who listen to them all carry responsibilities. Once you have been told, you know. Once you know, you are responsible. We are all responsible.
If you are experiencing trauma or feeling triggered, help is available 24/7 for survivors and their families through the Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. Mental health support is available through the Hope for Wellness chatline at 1-855-242-3310 or using the chat box at hopeforwellness.ca.
Terri Cardinal is director of Indigenous initiatives at MacEwan University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Last summer, UnBQ collaborated with the University of Alberta Indigenous-led team, to conduct a Phase 1 search of the former Blue Quills Indian Residential School near St. Paul, Alberta. Our initial findings released publicly on April 19 identified 19 "reflections of interest" on 1.29 acres of land.
The term "reflections of interest" is used to describe traits that are similar in ground- penetrating radar data. The reason this term was used at UnBQ was because prior to the release of the report they had not done GPR scans of nearby cemetery sites that would give them a more clear comparison. Once that process has been completed, the terminology will likely change in the Phase 2 report.
Over the course of the year, survivors have also shared areas of interest that will need further investigating. This is only the start of the search process as UnBQ is located on 240 acres of land.
Addressing denialism
In-depth measuring of the deaths of residential school students is critical to research and communities to help provide clearer understandings of the lives of these children across Canada.
It is also a potential way to address denialists who may question whether the number of deaths is excessive.
Denialists may argue that uncovering a certain number of graves is not indicative of problematic conditions in the schools. And that data, based on counts, is subject to distortion.
For example, it could be argued that mortality occurs in all populations and that schools with large populations in operation over long periods would encounter deaths and therefore, the occurrence of a number of deaths is not problematic.
However, there are quantitative methods that can help address these issues.
A good example is the standardized mortality ratio. This ratio involves calculating the number of expected deaths in residential schools based on reported death rates in the Canadian population during the same time period among children of the same ages based on historical data.
Although we have no public data that details the full scope of mortality rates for Indigenous children in residential schools, calculations such as the standardized mortality ratio can help us fully document how many Indigenous children died.
Indigenous scholars, leaders and survivors have long known that the number of deaths of children in residential schools was substantial. Now, as new research and data is produced, we will continue to see the official numbers grow.
Compassion as we mourn
As the daughter of a residential school survivor and a relative to many who attended Blue Quills Indian Residential School, it's horrible to have to address denialism during this time of mourning and healing in our communities.
Shortly after unmarked graves were uncovered at the Kamloops residential school, my father, Joe Cardinal, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation shared with me his wish that we continue to educate people on the beauty of our culture.
My father survived so I can live and experience love. I honor his wish by learning, unlearning and educating in systems that were not made for me. Education is healing and it offers people an opportunity to understand, unlearn and relearn the truths of this country.
My father once told me:
"We are here to show the next generation what our ancestors were taught, the values of respecting one another, loving one another, helping one another. That's what we need, we need to come back to that."
The findings across this country create opportunity for healing and addressing unresolved grief. The intergenerational trauma of residential schools has interrupted and challenged our Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.
In listening to the stories shared throughout this process, I have come to recognize that this work has created opportunities for healing in a trauma-informed and culturally appropriate way.
Indigenous communities hold the knowledge required to heal. We don't need to be researched and rescued. We need to be more compassionate with one another, as people, but also as practitioners working with Indigenous families.
The stories that Indigenous Peoples tell are sacred. The accounts residential school survivors and their families share are sacred. Those who listen to them all carry responsibilities. Once you have been told, you know. Once you know, you are responsible. We are all responsible.
If you are experiencing trauma or feeling triggered, help is available 24/7 for survivors and their families through the Indian Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. Mental health support is available through the Hope for Wellness chatline at 1-855-242-3310 or using the chat box at hopeforwellness.ca.
Terri Cardinal is director of Indigenous initiatives at MacEwan University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
Through the Eyes of a 6-Year-old Child, Orange Became a Symbol of an Indigenous Movement
LEVI RICKERT AND NEELY BARDWELL
Fri, September 29, 2023
Phyllis Webstad, a tribal citizen of the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation, is a prime example of how one person can make a difference and create an Indigenous movement across North America.
Editor’s Note: This story was published in observance of Orange Shirt Day in 2021. Native News Online is republishing it again this year.
For a listing of events commemorating Orange Shirt Day around North America, see our post here.
Webstad is the force behind the Orange Shirt Day movement that is commemorated each year on Sept. 30 to remember Indigenous people who attended Indian residential schools in Canada and Indian boarding schools in the United States.
The color orange was chosen because of something that happened to Webstad when she was only six years old. It was Sept. 30, 1973, the first day she attended St. Joseph’s Mission Residential School in British Columbia. Her grandmother had bought Webstad a brand-new shiny orange shirt to wear, adding to the young student’s first-day-of-school excitement.
Unfortunately, when Webstad got to school, the orange shirt was taken from her, and it was never given back.
“I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying, and no one cared,” Webstad said.
She never forgot the loss that turned into a hurt to her heart.
In 2013, Webstad was asked to return to St. Joseph’s as an Indian residential school survivor. She convinced other survivors to buy orange t-shirts as a way to remember those who attended the residential schools in Canada. She formed the Orange Shirt Society.
“Wearing orange shirts are a symbol of defiance against those things that undermine children’s self-esteem, and of our commitment to anti-racism and anti-bullying in general,” Webstad explains.
The Orange Shirt Society is not all about defiance though.
“Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and communities to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come,” Webstad said.
September 30 was chosen as the primary day of remembrance because it is around that time of the year that Indigenous children were taken from their homes and sent to residential schools. It was also chosen because “it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the coming school year,” Webstad explains.
Since 2013, the Orange Shirt Day has morphed into days of reflection throughout Canada and the United States. Orange has become a color for women jingle dress dancers.
Today’s Orange Shirt Day has a more serious tone, following the revelation in late May that the remains of 215 children were discovered in a mass grave at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Since then, thousands of other bodies have been found at residential schools throughout Canada.
“Every child matters” has become a mantra for t-shirts and rally signs.
Two years ago, for the first time, Canada celebrated Truth and Reconciliation Day on Sept. 30, 2021. But to many, Sept. 30 will always be known as Orange Shirt Day because of the difference Phyllis Webstad made in the creation of an Indigenous movement.
About the Author: "Elyse Wild is senior editor for Native News Online and Tribal Business News. " ewild@indiancountrymedia.com
No comments:
Post a Comment