Wear orange – September 30 became known as Orange Shirt Day because of the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwpemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). On her first day of school, Phyllis 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 Sept. 30, Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to raise awareness of the tragic legacy of the Canadian Residential School System.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation 2022
City of London Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron.
What can I do?
Each year, September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
Learn about the Residential School History and Truth and Reconciliation (Click here)
For a period of more than 150 years, First Nations, Inuit and Métis Nation children were taken from their families and communities to attend schools which were often located far from their homes. More than 150,000 children attended Indian Residential Schools. Many never returned.
Donate to Indigenous Organizations (Click here)
There are a number of wonderful charities, causes, and funds that can be donated to where the money will go toward helping to support Indigenous communities across the country.
Find nonprofit and charity organizations near you, who need volunteers in areas such as addressing local water challenges in Indigenous communities, providing programs that support Indigenous spiritual, emotional, physical and mental well-being, and education.
Internationally, the right to water is recognized by the United Nations. It entitles everyone, without discrimination, access to safe, sufficient, physically accessible and affordable water. In Canada, while our water quality is ranked among the best in the world, First Nations across the country struggle to access a safe supply.
First Nations face disproportionately higher numbers of drinking water advisories, and are subjected to these advisories for longer periods of time than non-Indigenous people. This is due to inadequate and chronic under-funding, regulatory voids and a lack of resources to support water management. The number of water-borne diseases in First Nations communities is 26 times higher than the national average, and people living on reserve are 90 times more likely to have no access to running water compared to non-Indigenous people in Canada. In many of these First Nations, water has elevated levels of heavy metals, including iron and manganese, and contaminants like E. coli.
Credit:
Mario Swampy, a council member from Samson Cree Nation, co-authored this article.
Kerry Black is assistant professor and Canada Research Chair, Integrated Knowledge, Engineering and Sustainable Communities, University of Calgary.
For full article go to: Tip of the iceberg: The true state of drinking water advisories in First Nations
Attend Indigenous Events (Click here)
Several upcoming festivals and events celebrate Indigenous culture and the contributions, accomplishments and talent of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples in theatre, film, music, sport and science.
Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future
Read:
The Salvation Army in Canada and Indigenous Peoples
A resource provided by the Social Issues Committee and Territorial Indigenous Ministries The Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territory
Learn about Canada's Indigenous Peoples
Learn from these videos
Every Child Matters: Truth - Act One
Canadian Residential School History
Phyllis Webstad - Missing Residential School children
Phyllis Webstad Orange Shirt Day Presentation
TRC Mini Documentary - Senator Murray Sinclair on Reconciliation
Sen. Murray Sinclair: How can Canadians work toward reconciliation
Donate to Indigenous Organizations
Volunteer
Sign Petitions for Safe Drinking Water
Government of Canada: Indigenous Deserve CLEAN drinking water
Justin Trudeau: Clean water for Indigenous communities drinking from the Great Lakes Basin.
Help the First Nations in Canada secure a clean water source
Help Preserve Long Term Clean Water On Reserves
Canadian Federal Government: Implement an updated National Water Policy
Achieve clean drinking water for North Caribou Lake First Nation
Clean safe drinking water for ALL First Nations communities NOW !!
FIRST NATIONS WATER AND FOOD CRISIS IN CANADA
Provide Canadian Indigenous communities with clean drinking water
End the First Nations Water Crisis
Access to clean drinking water for Indigenous peoples in Manitoba
Trudeau: Time To End Drinking Water Advisories In First Nations
Demand Clean Drinking Water on All First Nations Reserves in Canada Immediately
Events
National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Schedule for Truth and Reconciliation Week 2021 (Links to YouTube recordings)
Dozens of videos on demand relating to Indigenous issues. Watch at your leisure.
On this day, we will be offering free admission to the gallery for anyone wanting to attend our collection and exhibitions and reflect on the importance of Truth and Reconciliation in our community.
We have one key exhibition on display featuring Indigenous artists: Grey Matter: Your Brain on Art. We encourage you to visit this incredible exhibition and learn more about the Indigenous artists (such as Manasie Akpaliapik, pictured here) who made this exhibition possible.
This event brings together Indigenous knowledge keepers, elders, cultural leaders, historians, healers, and others who are generously and graciously willing to give of their time to help us learn what we need to know. These are people from our local southwestern Ontario Indigenous communities who are very well qualified to speak to us and help us appreciate both the historical and present-day effects of the way Indigenous people have been treated. There will be at least 15 Indigenous presenters for this event so attenders will have the opportunity to learn a great deal, get to know our neighbours, and be able to participate in real reconciliation going forward.
This is a unique opportunity, and we really encourage you to take advantage of it and plan to attend. Followers of Jesus need to be involved in making this better! Come and learn!
Status/Non-Status is the new name for the ongoing musical work of Anishinaabe community worker Adam Sturgeon (Nme’) and his longtime collaborators (fka Whoop-Szo). The band spent a decade carving a path through Canada’s DIY scene before leveling up thanks to 2019’s acclaimed long player Warrior Down (You’ve Changed Records). This album confronted Sturgeon’s complex family history and identity and was long listed for the Polaris Music Prize among numerous other accolades. Today, the band emerges renewed, with more stories to share on the new album 'Surely Travel'
Learn about the Moccasin Identifier Project and how it is used to promote public awareness of significant cultural historic sites and the ancestral presence of First Nations, Metis, and Indigenous Communities. This hands-on program allows participants to create their own design using moccasin stencils.
We invite you to join us on Saturday, September 25 at 12pm for the 24th Annual Community Pow Wow! You can join our virtual event via our Facebook page Livestream and/or drop by one of our locations on September 25th at noon to pick up a “Giveaway kit”.
Description: "This talk will enlighten and inform participants about what we mean by "Indigenous knowledge" and the ancient universal wisdom contained in our laws and ethics. This information will give participants pause for thought and insight into what is required of each of us to achieve true reconciliation."
Raven Sinclair is Cree/Assinniboine/Saulteaux/Métis and a member of George Gordon First Nation of the Treaty #4 area of southern Saskatchewan. She is a direct descendent of two signatories to Treaty 4. Raven has been with the faculty since July 2005 and was previously on faculty with the First Nations University of Canada. She has taught at Masckwacis Cultural College, and the access division of Calgary's Faculty of Social Work, and lectured for Laurentian, USask, and Wilfred Laurier in their Centre for Indigegogy. Raven is an editorial board member for Genealogy: An open access journal of MDPI, and Memorial University journal Intersectionalities: A global journal of social work analysis, research, polity, and practice.
Conestoga College will be screening the film Indian Horse, followed by a moderated discussion with our Elders in Residence, Indigenous Services and students. Please join us to learn more about the Residential School experience and understand multi-generational impacts from these experiences.
An adaptation of Ojibway writer Richard Wagamese’s award-winning novel, this moving and important drama sheds light on the dark history of Canada’s boarding schools or Indigenous Residential Schools and the indomitable spirit of aboriginal people. INDIAN HORSE stars Canadian newcomers Sladen Peltier and Edna Manitowabi, as well as Ajuawak Kapashesit (Indian Road Trip, Once Upon A River), Forrest Goodluck (The Revenant, The Miseducation of Cameron Post), Michael Murphy (Away From Her), Michael Lawrenchuck (Tokyo Cowboy), Johnny Issaluk (Two Lovers And A Bear) and Michiel Huisman (The Age Of Adaline).
In the late 1950’s Ontario, eight-year-old Saul Indian Horse is torn from his Ojibway family and committed to one of the notorious Catholic Residential Schools. In this oppressive environment, Saul is denied the freedom to speak his language or embrace his Indigenous heritage while he witnesses horrendous abuse at the hands of the very people entrusted with his care. Despite this, Saul finds salvation in the unlikeliest of places and favourite winter pastime -- hockey. Fascinated by the game, he secretly teaches himself to play, developing a unique and rare skill. He seems to see the game in a way no other player can.
His talent leads him away from the misery of the school, eventually leading him to the Pros. But the ghosts of Saul’s past are always present, and threaten to derail his promising career and future. Forced to confront his painful past, Saul draws on the spirit of his ancestors and the understanding of his friends to begin the process of healing.
Conestoga College will be screening the film We Were Children, followed by a moderated discussion with our Elders in Residence, Indigenous Services and students. Please join us to learn more about the Residential School experience and understand multi-generational impacts from these experiences.
we are made of stardust explores our relationship with the cosmos.
Rooted in Indigenous cosmologies and astronomy, the artworks included in this exhibition visually express how Indigenous peoples make sense of their place in the universe through relating to and reflecting on the sun, the moon, the stars, and all celestial beings in the night sky.
We will begin in the Kaliwiyo Circle before heading to the green space just outside R1042. Please bring a blanket and enjoy the summer sun.
On June 3, 2021, the federal government passed legislation to designate September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day.
Participate in the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with Ojibwe multidisciplinary artist and residential school survivor Rene Meshake. Rene will present Conversations in Pipigwan Flute, a presentation of Anishinaabe storytelling, poetry, music, and song.
Tecumseh Community Development in partnership with Tourism Sarnia-Lambton present the First Nations Cultural Tourism Event.
The First Nations event will highlight and celebrate our First Nations communities and share their rich culture and beautiful customs with visitors.
Lambton County is proud to have the communities of Aamjiwnaang, Kettle & Stony Point and Walpole Island First Nations reside within Lambton County.
The celebratory event will showcase cultural traditional drumming, singing, authentic cuisine, 30 creative Artisans along with skilled dancers wearing brilliantly coloured regalia dress.
The Anishinabe Ojibwe Spirit Horses will be part of the festivities and will share the rich history by storytelling of the indigenous peoples breeding of the rare horse breed.
Kids Zone activities, face painting plus craft demonstrations will be provided on traditional basket making, sweet grass braiding, hand made beading, and a favourite to sample fry bread.
Everyone is invited to take part and learn how to make, bake and create during the day’s demonstration activities.
Bring the whole family for a free fun day of activities.
imagineNATIVE promotes Indigenous-made media by developing platforms for artists to assert their voices, express their perspectives, and share their cultures.
Join us at the 2022 imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival!
October 18-23, 2022 – Toronto | October 24-30, 2022 – Online