We recognize Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – tomorrow, September 30 – to honour survivors of the residential school system and those who never made it home.
This year, we will learn together about Elder Mary Courchene’s (cour-SHANE) life story. We will use her experiences to learn about the treaty relationship, the medicine wheel, residential schools, important moments in Indigenous history, and living a good life. You can listen to Mary's story here: Mary's Story
We are learning about these topics because we are all Treaty people. Our land is Treaty One land, and we all benefit from the agreements Indigenous peoples made with government.
Cadmus Delorme, the chief of Cowessess First Nation on Treaty 4 land in Saskatchewan said, “We all inherited this. Nobody today created Residential Schools. Nobody today created the Indian Act. Nobody today created the ’60s Scoop. We all inherited it and we have to acknowledge that people are healing and people are hurting. Let’s do something about it.”
Our learning this year responds to Chief Delorme’s call to do something about it. We’ll hear from Mary several times this year. She will share stories through videos, as oral storytelling is an important aspect of Indigenous culture.
Tomorrow (Saturday, September 30) is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Here are some ideas of things you could do with your family:
- Attend the Healing Walk to honour Survivors. It starts at Oodena Circle at the Forks at 10:00 AM and ends at Canada Life Centre at 1:00 PM where a Powwow is taking place.
- Spend time with your family learning more about the Witness Blanket, an art piece that incorporates items reclaimed from residential schools.
- Learn about the progress that has been made towards the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and what actions still need to be fulfilled.
- Teach younger siblings about residential schools using this read aloud of the book When We Were Alone.
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