Today’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation has been an emotional day for those attending, particularly people living with deep generational trauma.
The Spirit Catcher has become the gathering place for many sombre events and Friday’s special day was no different as it began with a sunrise and pipe ceremony at around 6:30 a.m.
Throughout the day, a Sacred Fire and Sharing Circle, hosted by the Barrie Native Friendship Centre (BNFC), will be ongoing as people pray, share stories and learn about Truth and Reconciliation.
BNFC cultural resource co-ordinator Paige Russell explained why today is not a holiday in that it’s a day off to celebrate, but rather why it's important as a day off to reflect on the past.
“It started off very beautifully with a feeling of community and reflection at the sunrise ceremony. The Sharing Circle has been active and people are participating and I have heard from people who are feeling the healing coming from the circle,” Russell told BarrieToday.
In 2008, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was established to document the history and long-lasting effects of the residential school system on Indigenous children and their families.
The TRC emphasized an importance of showing the impacts that residential schools have had on the country and people who were kept in the dark about the decades-long tragedy.
The commission concluded in December 2015 by issuing 94 Calls to Action, which acted as a guide for what needed to happen in Canada to bring some level of reconciliation to the nation's Indigenous communities.
Since 2015, only 13 of those Calls to Action have been completed. Another 19 haven’t been started, 30 have been proposed and 30 are said to be underway.
Russell was asked to characterize the progress that has been made.
“It is troubling, especially since the Calls to Action were suggestions; they were requirements so we could heal for the future generations," she said.
Painted Sky, an Indigenous knowledge keeper and pipe carrier living in Barrie, was at the BNFC tent today and said he was honoured to be part of Friday's events to commemorate the children who never made home and those who did but with life-long trauma.
“A lot of people misunderstand what today is about and think it is a celebration, but it really is not,” he told BarrieToday. “It's about hardship and it is very difficult for every individual to be part of this day.”
Painted Sky said the day is particularly emotional for him because of his family connection to residential schools.
“My mother is a second-generational survivor and her parents were the first to suffer those traumas,” he said. “I also want to reflect on all of them because they were taken right off the land, from their homes. I’ve learned from mom and grandparents about these traumas and it allows me to continue the teachings to my kids and the next generation.”
Rama First Nation resident Jeremy Cote said the tragedy of residential schools lives on today in generations that never even stepped foot in them.
“My grandfather is a survivor. He was in the schools and he picked up the bottle shortly after that. He drank excessively and I ended up not being close to my grandparents because of the drinking,” Cote said.
Cote said he has family members who drink heavily, but he says he has chosen to not, rather dedicating his time to being a leader in his community.
“I not only take care of my mental, physical and spiritual health, but also that of my family. I also take what I continue to learn from elders who have much more knowledge than me and pass it on to those seeking more about our way of life,” he said
In May 2021, a specialist using ground-penetrating radar made preliminary findings that the remains of 215 children were buried around the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.
Nationwide, flags were lowered to half mast and more unmarked graves were discovered.
The TRC report noted an estimated 150,000 children attended residential schools over their 120-year history. It's estimated that 3,200 of those children died in the residential schools.
From the 70,000 former students still alive, more than 30,000 have said they were sexually or physically assaulted.
The NDTR will continue today at the Spirit Catcher, with children's activities provided by the Barrie Public Library, including a Story Walk of The Orange Shirt Story by Phyllis Webstad, orange shirt flag craft station, and Every Child Matters button-making activities.
A holistic village host drum will beat leading up to the Every Child Matters walk at 4:45 p.m., which will commence at the Spirit Catcher and make its way along the waterfront trail to Centennial Park and back.
