'They did not kill the Indian': Sask. marks National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was marked in Regina by an event that began at 8:30 a.m. with a pipe ceremony, followed by prayers, guest speakers and a barbeque.  (Will Draper/CBC - image credit)
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was marked in Regina by an event that began at 8:30 a.m. with a pipe ceremony, followed by prayers, guest speakers and a barbeque. (Will Draper/CBC - image credit)

A sea of orange covered the gymnasium at the mâmawêyatitân centre in north Regina and the Wanuskewin Heritage Park north of Saskatoon as Canada marked the fourth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Monday.

The day is a time to remember Indigenous children who died at residential schools, the survivors, their families and communities. Also known as Orange Shirt Day, it takes place Sept. 30 each year and is a federal statutory holiday.

More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children were forced to attend church-run, government-funded residential schools between the 1870s and 1997. The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation estimated that more than 4,100 children died while attending the schools.

The event in Regina began at 8:30 a.m. MT with a pipe ceremony, followed by prayers, guest speakers, and a barbecue. More than 2,000 people gathered for the event with roughly 200 volunteers pitching in, the organizers in Regina said.

North of Saskatoon hundreds joined in as community members filled the day with smudging, honour songs, fiddle presentations, powwow dance, and drumming.

As people across the country marked this day, elders in Regina emphasized the importance of the day as they took centre stage Monday morning.

Solomon Ratt, a speaker at the event in Regina, emphasized the importance of the day as he spoke about what he called his experience at a residential school in Prince Albert.
Solomon Ratt, a speaker at the event in Regina, emphasized the importance of the day as he spoke about what he called his experience at a residential school in Prince Albert.

Solomon Ratt, a speaker at the event in Regina, emphasized the importance of the day as he spoke about what he called his experience at a residential school in Prince Albert. (Will Draper/CBC)

Solomon Ratt was one of those speakers. Ratt, 70 now, said he was taken away to a residential school in Prince Albert when he was six.

Ratt said he was at the school from 1960 to 1969, after which he said he was put into a boarding program until 1973. He "just spent two months of the year" with his family in all that time, he said.

"Reconciliation for me is to be able to look at my experiences and be able to share those experiences and to grow out of the resentment that I felt for so long," he said.

"Resentment is poison for me. If I stay in anger, I will not be able to heal so it gives me the opportunity to reconcile myself."

Ratt recollected the honours he’s been bestowed upon by the provincial and federal government over the years as he pointed to the lapel pins on his blazer at the Monday event in Regina.
Ratt recollected the honours he’s been bestowed upon by the provincial and federal government over the years as he pointed to the lapel pins on his blazer at the Monday event in Regina.

Ratt recollected the honours he’s been bestowed upon by the provincial and federal government over the years as he pointed to the lapel pins on his blazer at the Monday event in Regina. (Will Draper/CBC)

Ratt recollected the honours he's been bestowed upon by the provincial and federal government over the years as he pointed to the lapel pins on his blazer. He calls reconciliation a misnomer, saying there has to be conciliation before reconciliation.

It's important, he said, for him to pass along the stories of what had happened to the younger generation.

"The biggest thing that I experienced was not hearing the traditional stories that were told in the wintertime," he said.

"I remember going home the first summer, asking my parents to tell me the stories. And they told me, 'Sorry, it's summertime, we cannot tell these stories.'"

Jordan Daniels, a member of Mistawasis Nêhiyawak, played fiddle music for the crowd at Wanuskewin. Daniels said real reconciliation is about more than just showing up to an event.

"It's more than just an orange shirt and one singular day for us as Indigenous people, as we have to live with it 365 days a year. There's a lot of other things that you need to consider," he said.

Brooklyn Neveu was teaching hand games for anyone willing to try. Neveu said she learned the games from knowledge handed down to her. Now, she said, she's doing the same to spread the joy of Indigenous culture.

She said truth and reconciliation is just beginning, and that reclaiming culture is part of it.

"Lots of traditional games are used for hunting and practicing your hunting and sharpening your hunting skills," Neveu said.

Forrest Duane Pelletier Junior, an attendee in Regina, stumbled upon the event. He said there's been a performative corporatization of Indigenous struggles that "use slogans as marketing schemes."

"If there was truly truth and reconciliation, there wouldn't be this much shoes going on top of every fence just to show that there's children going missing," he said.

Fawn Redwood, one of the organizers, said they anticipate the number if attendees to be more than 2000.
Fawn Redwood, one of the organizers, said they anticipate the number if attendees to be more than 2000.

Fawn Redwood, one of the organizers, said they anticipate the number if attendees to be more than 2,000. (Will Draper/CBC)

Fawn Redwood, one of the organizers, said they hadn't expected people to show up in the numbers that they did. The meeting space was filled to the brim with hardly any noticeable standing room, but Redwood said, community members made sure there was space for everyone.

Redwood said the event not only recognized intergenerational traumas, but also focused on keeping the intergenerational knowledge alive.

"We are starting to, of course, have things like our dancing and everything else where we flourish and see that culture is still alive. They did not kill the Indian. People are still here today."

The 40-minute healing walk was cancelled because of rain showers in Regina, but attendees rallied in layered circles indoors to honour the healing walk and do a Round Dance instead.
The 40-minute healing walk was cancelled because of rain showers in Regina, but attendees rallied in layered circles indoors to honour the healing walk and do a Round Dance instead.

The 40-minute healing walk was cancelled because of rain showers in Regina, but attendees rallied in layered circles indoors to honour the healing walk and do a Round Dance instead. (Will Draper/CBC)

The 40-minute healing walk in Regina was cancelled because of rain showers, but attendees rallied in layered circles indoors to honour the healing walk and do a Round Dance instead. Members in Wanuskewin, too, ended their day with the Round Dance.

While the speakers recognized grief, anger, and the call for justice, they also talked about the importance of community support in providing comfort.

"You can't move forward without looking back. And that's what we do. We take the time to remember, but of course, move forward so that it doesn't happen to our children or our future generations," Redwood said.

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line is available to provide support for survivors and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour service at 1-866-925-4419.

Mental health counselling and crisis support is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through the Hope for Wellness hotline at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat