Indigenous people, country grappled with residential school grave discoveries

#NEWSMAKERS: Sept. 30 marked 1st national Truth and Reconciliation Day following the discovery of unmarked grave sites

Yorkregion.com
Jan. 4, 2022
Aileen Zangouei

On top of the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic this year, Indigenous people and the entire country have been grappling with the discovery of thousands of Indigenous children's remains that were found at the sites of former church-operated residential schools.

As part of the healing process, the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was observed on Sept. 30.

Here's a recap of events of that day in York Region:

Truth and Reconciliation Day

In Vaughan, Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua paid his tribute to the day, and urged people to use resources at the city's public libraries to further educate themselves about the atrocities that took place, and to reflect. Libraries across Vaughan offered weeklong programs and featured books containing memoirs from people who attended Canadian residential schools.

The Newmarket community gathered with Indigenous partners to honour the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. A walk was hosted along the Nokiidaa Trail -- an Ojibwa term meaning “walking together” -- to the bridge by town hall to view a commemorative Indigenous art installation. Members of the Indigenous community also delivered storytelling and songs.

Richmond Hill and the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts hosted an event featuring guest speaker and residential schools survivor Dawn Hill, a retired teacher and current secretary/treasurer of Mohawk Village Memorial Park, a not-for-profit charity run by a group of residential school survivors. Through Hill's story, participants had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the personal impact of the residential school system. Proceeds from ticket sales were donated to Mohawk Village Memorial Park.

King Township residents gathered to recognize the day at the King Heritage and Cultural Centre and hear an abbreviated version of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action. Erika Baird, a supervisor at the centre said it’s not enough to just talk about Indigenous lives one day a year; it needs to be all the time, and that “this is the start of something.”

'Reconcili-action'

On Truth and Reconciliation Day, Barry Maracle, a fourth generation spirit-filled believer in Jesus Christ and a Mohawk raised on the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario, spoke to more than 200 residents in Newmarket, and signalled hope for change. Maracle spoke of the “atrocities” committed against generations of Indigenous children by authorities determined to “kill the Indian in the child.”
For Maracle, “Reconcili-action” means embracing it and applying the 94 recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Report.

Just 10 days after the federal election, traditional Anishinaabe grandmother Kim Wheatley spoke of her mistrust of meaningful action coming from Ottawa.

“Trudeau is a failure. He doesn’t walk his talk, he doesn’t honour our people and he didn’t deserve our vote the first time, the second time or this time … He’s done us wrong,” she said, saying he hasn’t prioritized acts of reconciliation.

York Catholic School Board

Currently, the York Catholic District School Board meetings start with a prayer followed by a land acknowledgement. On Nov. 30, board trustee Theresa McNicol called on the land acknowledgement being recited before the prayer, however the motion failed, with six trustees opposed to it, and two trustees leaving the virtual meeting to avoid voting on the motion.

The Next Step: 'A lot of work needs to be done'

Members of Georgina Island First Nation reflect on Truth and Reconciliation Day as a good starting point, but stated that there's more to it than offering support on a specific day.

They said the creation of this day is also for education and understanding purposes and not just limited to recognition and awareness.

The chief and council point to education as the next steps forward, from Indigenous issues included in the education curriculum to mandatory Indigenous awareness training.

“This is vital for any forward movement in the reconciliation process,” they said.