Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre Hosts Truth and Reconciliation Day Sacred Fire
/The Nogojiwanong Friendship Centre (NFC) invited the community to join them in a sacred fire and book reading to honour National Truth and Reconciliation Day on Thursday.
The Lovesick Lake Native Women’s Association offers and Aboriginal Prenatal Nutrition Program, a Program for Children, and Long Term Care. Photo by Angela O’Grady.
This marked the first official National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
In association with Niijkiwendidaa Anishnaabekwewag Services Circle and Lovesick Lake Native Women's Association, Phyllis Webstad’s book ‘Orange Shirt Day’ was read around a sacred fire in the NFC wigwam while individuals made tobacco offerings.
“This isn’t a holiday. It’s a day of remembrance and a day of learning,” said Rebekah Rego, NFC Community Wellness Worker. “Learn about not just the past but about the 94 Calls to Action, understanding what that means, then move forward with that knowledge and use it every day.”
The Calls To Action were released in 2015 by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). They are meant to address the ongoing impact of residential schools on survivors and their families and to advance the process of reconciliation in Canada.
As of Sept. 30, 2021, only 14 of the 94 Calls to Action have been completed.
“That just shows you how long this will take,” said Kim Lamothe, NFC Cultural Resource Coordinator. “Reconciliation is a work in progress and it might take years.”
Lamothe says that Truth and Reconciliation Day is about getting people to educate themselves on the history of Canada and Indigenous people.
“We need to work together because we walk this path together and we live on this earth together,” said Lamothe. ”Elders and survivors and families are telling those stories and we need to listen, and know that they’re telling the truth.”
Visitors were invited to write on canvas leaves and add them to the canvas. Photo by Angela O’Grady.
