‘When I look at healing, often the responsibility is on us Indigenous people. But in order for healing to occur, the non-Indigenous world has to look at their own healing as well,’ said Alice Kaquitts, a Stoney Nakoda Elder and residential school survivor
Heads were bowed and some tears were shed Monday morning, as hundreds of Calgarians gathered at The Confluence Historic Site and Parkland to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Hundreds of orange-clad Calgarians listened to speeches from Indigenous elders, who described the injustices they experienced while attending residential schools as children.
But despite the mostly sombre occasion, the gathering also included upbeat singing, dancing and percussion performances from local Indigenous youth groups.
In the crowd, hundreds donned orange shirts — a tradition on Sept. 30 since 2013 to support reconciliatory action and raise awareness of the multi-generational effects that residential schools had on Canada’s Indigenous population.
Among the speakers Monday was Robin Big Snake, grandfather of the Prairie Chicken Society and member of the Siksika Nation. He shared his experience of attending the Old Sun Residential School as a youth, and said the memories of the school “still haunt me today.”
“Kids were chained against their bunk beds,” he recalled. “They were fed food that a billy goat would puke and not bother to eat.
“In the words of the chief of the Williams Lake band, ‘Somewhere, someplace, the hurting must stop.’ ”
The event at The Confluence — the local history museum formerly known as Fort Calgary — was one of several across the city on Monday to mark the national holiday. Programming also took place at the central branch of the Calgary Public Library, the University of Calgary, Heritage Park and Studio Bell, among other venues.
Everyone has to heal, says Indigenous elder
Wells’ death, which is still under investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), was referenced repeatedly by those speaking at The Confluence on Monday.
“My heart breaks as a mother and as a grandmother, because the very organization that is supposed to protect us is taking our lives,” said Alice Kaquitts, a Stoney Nakoda elder and residential school survivor.
“I don’t feel safe anymore. We need to address those issues.”
Kaquitts, who attended a residential school in Mini Thni (a Stoney Nakoda community west of Cochrane that until recently was known as Morley), said healing from the lingering trauma will have to be a collective effort made by both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
She referenced the disproportionately high number of Indigenous women and girls who are murdered or go missing, and the lack of public attention or concern those cases often garner in Canada.
“When I look at healing, often the responsibility is on us Indigenous people,” she said. “But in order for healing to occur, the non-Indigenous world has to look at their own healing as well.
“I urge you to look at your own healing so that together we can come to a crossroads again, where both you and I can challenge (each other) and make change a reality.”
Mayor speaks on ’embracing Indigenous world views and rights’
Another of the keynote speakers was Mayor Jyoti Gondek. She contrasted her own upbringing in Winnipeg, Portage la Prairie and Brandon as a “parallel universe” to the experiences of local Indigenous youth. Gondek said that throughout the 23 years she lived in Manitoba, she was never taught the true history of the province’s Indigenous population.
“I didn’t know that while I was growing up safe in my school and my family home with parents who loved me and taught me my culture and language, that Indigenous children in this country were being taken from their family,” she said. “They were stripped of their clothes, their hair was shorn off and their language was wiped from their mouths. Their lives were stolen from them and they were beaten and they were killed.”
Gondek encouraged attendees to question assumptions and to learn or unlearn misconceptions.
“Engaging in events like this one today is one way we can demonstrate our commitment, not only to truth and reconciliation, but also toward fostering a society that embraces Indigenous world views and rights,” she said.
‘This is not something to brush off’
The Confluence event also included live performances, including a fancy dance, a traditional Red River jig, and a poem reading from Kainai Nation high schoolers Teona Bigplume and Mandy Healey.
Calgary-based Wendy Walker — who is Cree, Metis and Mi’kmaq — performed her original song And the Children, which she wrote to memorialize children who attended residential schools.
Sporting an orange sweater, Brenda Fridas, a lifelong Calgarian, said she was motivated to attend the event Monday to show her support for embracing truth and reconciliation.
“I remember as a kid seeing some of the injustices going on and everyone seemed to brush it off,” she said. “I’m 64 and it’s sad that we only just started doing this recently.”
Fridas said she was moved by the occasion, particularly the personal stories the elders shared.
“I had to get a Kleenex out a couple of times,” she said. “I think more people need to understand this is not something to brush off, and we need to be aware of it.”
