Learn about FNIM cultural contributions by reading books from an Indigenous authors, watch films featuring FNIM culture like ones the National Film Board selection of Indigenous Peoples in Canada films or taking an online course such as ones from University of Alberta or the University of Waterloo.Follow the steps outlined by the On Canada Project in their Settlers Take Action project, which provides concrete actions non-Indigenous people can take in their personal journey towards truth and reconciliation.Familiarize yourself with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, the 94 Calls to Action made by the commission and the stories of residential school survivors in their own words.I encourage everyone in the MGH family to take it upon themselves to learn more about Canada’s history and FNIM culture. Traditional medicines will be available for prayers.Įveryone who calls Kanata (Canada) home needs to acknowledge the destructive, traumatic effect that residential schools have had on our country’s people and continues to the present day inequities faced by FNIM community members. We cannot achieve reconciliation if we don’t acknowledge the past and make a commitment to changes the future for the children, grandchildren and those yet to be born. We humbly ask you to join us and bring a pair of shoes to place on the stone people that surround the sacred fire. We invite the community to attend this grieving ceremony at any point while the fire is burning to offer prayers and support to those that are struggling with such a devastating loss of life. On June 8 th, Elder Little Brown Bear and community members will light a sacred fire and conduct a pipe ceremony located at the Bear’s Den All Nations Traditional Medicine Sweat Lodge which will burn for 24 hours until June 9 th to honour those lives that have been taken from us. We also invite our hospital to join Elder Little Brown Bear and other community members in honouring these children. The flag will remain in the mourning position until June 8 th or 215 hours. On Sunday evening, we lowered our flag to half-mast at the hospital. However, acknowledging our country’s terrible past is necessary in order seek reconciliation and change the future. It is difficult to contemplate the deaths of these young people. We all share in the grief of the generations who have been harmed by the residential schools. These children were stolen, and as a result families were broken. Last week, we learned of the discovery of the remains of 215 children on the grounds of a former residential school in Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc territory near Kamloops, B.C. Your donations will help us create this healing space.We stand with our First Nation, Inuit and Métis brothers and sisters in mourning the terrible loss and reliving of the trauma caused by the residential school system operated by the Canadian government. Once we have raised the money needed we will be able to start building in the fall of 2021. Your donations will help us cover building materials, labour cost, and fuel. We have an infrastructural blueprint, and a group of committed contractors. We have a site, as seen in the video below, to build a 24X24 foot Ceremony house. Please help me build a Ceremony house for my community. It is times like these that we need a space for sacred ceremony and prayer a space to come together as a community to heal, to celebrate one another, and plan for our future. I have dedicated my life to defending land sovereignty and healing my family and community from the continuous, collective and cumulative colonial traumas.įollowing the identification of the location of the buried remains of more than 200 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, my community came together and I held a sacred fire for four days for the children we lost. My name is Henry Sauls, otherwise known as Saw-ses, I am a Secwépemc Hereditary Chief and Kamloops Indian Residential School survivor.
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