National Day of Truth and Reconciliation

 

We are the inheritors of a land stolen from the First Peoples.

When we arrived we chose to make treaties with them, treaties to share the land and to support the First Peoples as they had to change their lives to accommodate our arrival and settlement.

Then we started to try to destroy them, not overtly with guns but covertly with cultural genocide.

On this first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation we urge you to consider this history, to reflect on what was done to secure our occupation of this land, to honour the lost children and Survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.

September 30 is also "Orange Shirt Day".

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived residential schools and remembers those who did not. This day relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, on her first day of school, where she arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

On September 30, we encourage everyone to wear orange to raise awareness of the very tragic legacy of residential schools, and to honour the thousands of Survivors.

The legacy of Residential Schools is not only a historical wrong, there are many survivors living today and the generational effects are ongoing in our society and especially in theirs.  It is important to understand both the historical and current world events and effects of this Cultural Genocide so that we can move forward in the spirit of reconciliation and truly share this great land as the first signers of the treaties hoped we would do.   

Forever standing in solidarity and remembrance.
The Victorian Society of Alberta

Here is a link to the Summary of the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: http://www.trc.ca/.../pdf/Executive_Summary_English_Web.pdf. 

 

Here is a link to the CALLS TO ACTION: http://www.trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf

 

There is also further reading available here: http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html