How to honour Truth and Reconciliation Day in Golden – The Golden Star
There is content in this article about boarding schools that may appeal to some readers.
In 2021, the federal government passed Bill C-5, declaring September 30 a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
This year the day is celebrated for the second time.
The day coincides with Orange Shirt Day, an informal holiday that encouraged people to wear orange on September 30 to honor and commemorate the boarding school experience and to witness the healing journey of survivors and their families.
It was a grassroots campaign founded by Phyllis Webstad.
Orange Shirt Day grew out of her own experiences and the experiences of other boarding school survivors who attended St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake
There are several ways to honor the day in Golden.
The Metis Nation of Columbia River has several events planned for the Day of Truth and Reconciliation, beginning with a memorial ceremony in Spirit Square at 11 a.m
At this time, a new bench honoring the children lost in residential schools will be unveiled.
The ceremony will also include speeches, drums and fiddles.
At 12:30pm the new mural will be unveiled at the side of DJ’s Paper Place. It will feature local Metis history and culture accompanied by local fiddles and drums provided by Moose Luke.
Afterwards there is lunch for the elders.
At 3pm there is a screening of the locally produced film Susap, which is shown every night at 7pm for the following week.
The film follows the life journey of Robert Louie Sr., a descendant of Flat-Bow Kutenais of the Lower Division, and how his teachings as a child supported him throughout his life. Robert Louie escaped from Kootenay Indian School near Cranbrook at the age of seven. It took him 21 days to walk back to his home in the Lower Kootenay Band through the woods and mountains between Cranbrook and Creston.
Through the strong oral teachings, Louie learned about himself, his people, history, belief systems, ways of life, the oral teachings, motif folklore themes stories, and geographic settings of the ancestral homeland.
Often, grandparents and river neighbors would question Louie before retiring for the night—an expression of honoring their ancestors, their sacrifices, their practices, keeping their prayers and dreams alive by preserving the knowledge from generation to generation.
Voices of the Ancestors is played in front of Susap, based on Louie’s oral history lessons.
Gold residents are encouraged to wear orange on the day.
Most BC public schools, post-secondary institutions, research universities, Crown Corporations and government offices will close.
The Day of Truth and Atonement should be a day of reflection, like the day of national mourning. It was one of the 94 recommendations in the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission final report.
If you are interested in reading the appeals of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, something recommended for those who wish to educate themselves, you can do so online.
The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Hotline is available 24 hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of their Residential School experience. Non-emergency calls to the Indian Residential Schools Survivors Society can be made at 1-800-721-0066.
truth and reconciliation