Editorial National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Truth and Reconciliation is it a day to mourn our collective tragedy or is it a day to celebrate our resilience?

Three years ago, the federal government created the National Truth and Reconciliation Day also known as Orange Shirt Day.

The holiday was the federal government’s response to the discovery of the unmarked graves at the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

News of the discovery was shocking. After public pressure reached the Vatican, the Roman Catholic Church finally acknowledged its part in the Indian Residential School system this was followed by an apology from Pope Francis to Survivors.

Although, Sept 30th is a federal holiday, only British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Yukon observe the day.

In Saskatchewan, it will for the most part, be business as usual.

Schools and educational institutions have chosen to cancel classes. As a result, several Orange Shirt Day events were held last week and over the weekend.

On Friday, the First Nations University of Canada hosted a Smudge Walk.

Players and coaches from nine northern high school football teams, which are part of the Northern Saskatchewan Football League experienced both sides of Orange Shirt Day.

For the past 10 years, the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation and Football Saskatchewan host a football jamboree in Regina and this year FNUniv was the sponsor.

It’s usually held in the spring, but was deferred this year because of the teacher’s rotating job action.

On Friday, the youth participated in a pipe ceremony and the Smudge Walk.

https://youtube.com/shorts/fFTOgHN_a3E?si=CAWk8fept71st3UG

As a survivor, I was asked to share my story of residential school. I am the last in my family to attend a residential school and I call myself a Last Generation Residential School Survivor.

Some of my great grandparents and grandparents attended the residential school located in Lebret, as did my parents Frank Kaisowatum and Yvonne Benjoe.

It is the same school I attended.

Like most people from my generation, my parents didn’t talk about their time in the school. The small tidbits they did share while they were alive are now my stories to carry forward.

My mom passed away in June so I chose to wear black for the Orange Shirt Day events I attended.

I spoke about the impact the Indian Residential School system had on my life because even though my experiences are different from my parents, it still affected me.

Stories from my generation are equally important, so is the correction of history. The last residential school closed in 1998 and it was located in Lebret.

Despite what Google and Wikipedia say, we can’t silence the voices of those who were still in residential school in 1997 and 1998.

As each year passes, the last generation of Indian Residential School Survivors, like myself, have the responsibility to carry our family history forward.

I shared the story of my dad who escaped residential school when he was about 12 or 13 and my mom’s story.

On Saturday, the northern football league players attended the Saskatchewan Roughrider’s Kisiskaciwan Game. The day included a pancake breakfast, Knowledge Keepers who shared their language, teepees set up for educational purposes and powwow dance demonstrations in the Coors Light Party in the Park prior to the game.

For some, the day is about celebrating culture by highlighting the resiliency of Indigenous people.

As a Survivor, I see value in both ways of marking the day.

We need to find balance in everything we do.

For those who choose to mark the day with celebrations don’t forget to honour the Survivors who made it through the system and those who didn’t.

For those who choose to be still and reflect on the day as a time to mourn. Remember the strength of all Survivors because of them we still have our languages, our ceremonies, and our stories.

All month I struggled with my own mixed feelings about the day.

My mom’s story has been running through my mind.

While at school all they received every morning was a bowl of oatmeal and a slice of bread. Meanwhile, at home she was cherished by her grandparents who spoiled her with all the best food.

“Why couldn’t we have a little something to put on our bread, that’s what I didn’t understand,” she told me once.

Instead what they received was the bare minimum.

I can’t imagine what it was like for her, but it made me appreciate the effort she put into making sure we all started the day off with a hot breakfast with all the fixings.

Today, I will miss my mom’s phone call because Orange Shirt Day was a hard day for her.

It’s our custom to have a feast to feed our loved ones who have passed on.

So, I will have a meal to honour my mom and dad and all Survivors who suffered in those schools many years ago.

This is how I am choosing to mark the day.