A smudge walk through downtown La Ronge and a candle lit vigil was held Monday at the site of the Lac La Ronge Residential School in honour of the 215 children found in a mass grave at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops B.C.
The event was hosted in partnership with the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, the Men of the North and the Piwapan Women’s Shelter.
Chris Merasty, founder of the Men of the North, said they wanted to hold the event to give community members support after the findings in B.C. and to help with healing.
“It will definitely help. I’m not saying that it’s going to be the fix and cure-all, but it will definitely help. It’s a good step in the right direction.”
Prior to the vigil, residential school survivors, tri-community leaders and elders spoke to the crowd of around 80 people.
LLRIB chief Tammy Cook-Searson, a residential school survivor herself, explained to the crowd that hearing of the mass grave was difficult.
“It was hard news for all of us to take; what they went through and (that) their parents had no say,” she said. “Even if their parents wanted to speak up for them, they had no voice. It was the policies of the government of the day, (but) just because you make a rule or a policy, it doesn’t mean it’s right.”
Cook-Searson and elder Tom Roberts said they will be using ground penetrating radar, the same used in Kamloops, to find unmarked graves at the grave site behind where the events took place as early as this summer.
Merasty said he thinks the discovery of the children in Kamloops is just the beginning of similar discoveries across Canada.
“I bet you if they start looking and surveying many of those grounds, that more and more (graves) are going to turn up,” he said, “ So, to me, this is almost just the tip of the iceberg.”
Which, he said, is another reason they held the walk and vigil.
“We wanted to create some awareness, create some healing, some community support (and) community healing.”
Northern Village of Air Ronge mayor Julie Baschuk, Town of La Ronge councillor Jordan McPhail and Cumberland MLA Doyle Vermette also spoke at the event.
Traditional dancers and singers performed prior to the vigil.
(PHOTOS: Top, the smudge walk began at the Lac La Ronge Indian Band Office. Bottom, The crowd listened to speakers including chief Tammy Cook-Searson. Photos by Sam Campling.)