We honour the children and families taken apart by the religious orders and governmental controls that sought to destroy and kill the “Indian problem.” We truly will never forget the loss of life, loss of innocence, loss of childhoods, loss of parenthood, loss of community, loss of language, loss of identity, loss of culture and loss of hope because of the systemic taking of our children from the safety of their families.

We seek to always remember who was taken and who was lost to us, we seek to retain and regain all that was seized upon. Our children are precious and at one point we have all been targeted for destruction either by acts of abuse like othering our culture and isolating us from each other and our land, the systems in power sought to destroy us as Indigenous people, as Kanienkeha, but we continue to survive, strive and thrive.

We will honour our ancestors, our grandparents, our siblings, our children by never forgeting the harm that was sent to us from the government, schools, communities and religious orders that sought to destroy our people from the roots. Thankfully our healers, leaders and cultural protectors had pockets the held the seeds and songs of our culture, they saved our people by retaining all that we need to sustain our future and present.

National Truth and Reconciliation Day

Orange Shirt Day