Monday, September 30 is the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day honours Survivors of Canada's residential school system, their families, and communities, and those who did not make it home. It helps ensure public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools in our country and is an important step in the process toward reconciliation.
There were 140 federally run residential schools in Canada that operated between 1867 and 1996. In the East Kootenay, the day is honoured significantly. Several events are scheduled around the region.
At the ʔaq̓am community near Cranbrook, Ktunaxa Nation citizens and guests will join together for a meaningful hike Monday morning to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The walk will begin and end at the St. Eugene resort, formerly the Kootenay Indian Residential School, and stop midway at a viewpoint on a ridge above the ʔaq̓am community known as Crying Hill.
It’s there Ktunaxa and Indigenous children forced to attend the school would first get an unobstructed glimpse of the building. The Kootenay Indian Residential School, composed of the St. Eugene's and St.
Mary's mission schools, was a part of the Canadian Indian residential school system and operated near Cranbrook between 1890 and 1970.[ school, run by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate of the Roman Catholic Church, first opened in 1890. It was replaced by an industrial school in 1912 that continued to operate until it was closed in 1970.
[ Between 1912 and 1970, over 5,000 children from across British Columbia and Alberta attended the school. The building has been home to the St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino since 2000.
Sophie Pierre was a student at the residential school from 1956 to 1963. “I think that many of you that are here, you know why we are here and you know why this is called Crying Hill,” she told the crowd at Crying Hill at last year’s Truth and Reconciliation Day walk. “And as you turn around on your journey back down the hill, you’ll see why, because you get a beautiful view of the valley and a very clear view of the former residential school.
” Formerly known under the colonial governance system as the St. Mary’s Indian Reserve, Pierre told the gathering that not long ago, the community went through the legal process to reclaim its identity as ʔaq̓am — the place of the pines — as it is translated from the Ktunaxa language. Other events around the region include: The City of Fernie will fly the Yaqit aknuqli’it (Tobacco Plains Band) flag permanently on a newly installed flag pole on City Hall grounds.
The city made the commitment last year, and will follow through with this promise at a flag raising ceremony on Sept. 30. The College of the Rockies is hosting a lecture, September 25, 2 - 4 p.
m. The Real History of Sam Steele in the Kootenays - Unpacking the history of the RCMP, Colonialism and Dispossession in Cranbrook, Ktunaxa ʔamakʔis. The Yaqan Nukiy (Lower Kootenay Band) in Creston will lead a commemorative walk, Sept.
30 starting at 10 a.m., at 830 Simon Road (the old administration complex).
A barbecue will follow. Four Points Books will host Eldene Stanley, the Culture, Language, and Elder Program Manager at the ʔakisq̓ q̓ nuk FirstNation, for an enlightening discussion on the invaluable contributions of elders in preserving culture and fostering community well-being. Truth and Reconciliation Commission and its calls to action Survivors of the 140 federally run residential schools in Canad advocated for recognition and reparations and demanded accountability for the intergenerational impacts of harm caused.
Their efforts culminated in: • the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement; • apologies by the government; • the establishment of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; • the creation of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission ran from 2008 to 2015 and provided those directly or indirectly affected by the legacy of the residential schools policy with an opportunity to share their stories and experiences. The Commission released its final report detailing 94 calls to action.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a direct response to Call to Action 80, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation has become the permanent archive for the statements, documents and other materials the Commission gathered. Its library and collections, as well as its National Student Memorial Register, are the foundation for ongoing learning and research.
Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30. Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
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