By Nicole Goldsworthy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
TISDALE – The community of Tisdale held many events to honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The Town of Tisdale posted, “Today, we recognize and commemorate the history and ongoing legacy of residential schools, and the trauma experienced by so many. On this day, we remember the thousands of Indigenous children who were forcibly taken from their families, many of whom never returned home.”
“The Town of Tisdale honours residential school survivors and their families and commits to promoting good relationships and economic reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. Today is a day for reflection, learning, and most importantly, a commitment to a path of healing and meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous communities.”
On Friday. Sept. 27, the community held a walk and wore orange to support the indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day to raise awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of residential schools and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. Over 100 people participated and joined in the walk.
Katie Adair, Tisdale Reconciliation committee member, wanted to thank all those who helped organize and participated: “Elder Daryl Cappo for starting us off in a good way, with a prayer. Rylan Smallchild for leading the walk with his drum and voice, veteran and knowledge keeper Clinton Digness for saying a prayer before lunch, Beeland Co-op for providing lunch and muffins to our honoured guests, Tim Hortons in Tisdale for providing tea and coffee for our honoured guests, the Legion for letting us use their building our town administrator, Lovely Magnaye for bringing greetings on behalf of the town, Pauline for baking the cookies, Jody and Quinn for the use of their sound system, Sask Culture for the financial grant support, our two grade 6 students, Megan and Aaron for carrying the Every Child Matters flag. And everyone who helped out today. It was an honour.”
Until Oct. 1, the Spirit Bears Guide to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action story stroll will be displayed at Memorial Park, offering an educational opportunity for all ages to understand the 94 Calls to Action.
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was formerly known as Orange Shirt Day. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
Following is the town’s land acknowledgement: The Town of Tisdale acknowledges that we are on treaty land, referred to as Treaty 6 Territory and that the Town of Tisdale and all the people here are beneficiaries of this treaty. Treaty 6 encompasses the lands of the Cree, Dakota, Nakota, Saulteaux and the homeland of the Métis Nation. This acknowledgement also reaffirms our relationship with one another, and we are committed to move forward in partnership with Indigenous Nations in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.