A few weeks ago, Penelakut Tribe announced 160 undocumented and unmarked graves were found on the former Kuper Island Industrial School grounds on its territory on Penelakut Island.
On B.C. Day, Penelakut Tribe hosted a Walk to Bring the Children Home, as a way to honour its residential school survivors, the children who never made it home, and their families who have been waiting. I聽attended this event in Chemainus and was overwhelmed to see more than 2,000 people, creating a sea of orange shirts.
Many times, members of Penelakut Tribe spoke of how overwhelmed they were at the attendance and the number of allies in the crowd.
There is so much negativity that presents itself loudly, yet events like this reinforce the compassion, camaraderie and support of people here on 91原创 Island.
The path forward is walking together, and I felt that in a very tangible way on 颅Monday鈥檚 walk.
After the march, the group gathered at Waterwheel Park, with many people taking turns to speak and share stories to a captive audience.
At one point, a man stood at the 颅microphone and asked Indigenous people in the crowd to yell out labels that they have received. 鈥淟azy,鈥� 鈥渄runk,鈥� 鈥渨elfare case,鈥� 鈥渟tupid,鈥� 鈥済et everything for free鈥� were among the words yelled out.
It was powerful to sit there, and hard to hear the words. As each word was yelled out, I watched many nodding heads, 颅acknowledging that they, too, have been called those words.
As an Indigenous journalist, I receive some of these words in emails from readers, too.
Sitting listening to the truths of 颅people鈥檚 experiences was moving, and watching young Indigenous children at the event really reinforced the tragedies that occurred. Seeing elders who survived 颅residential schools walking alongside small children was hard, because it was a reminder of the innocent children that we wear orange for, and the childhoods that were lost.
Many members of Penelakut Tribe and other Indigenous communities spoke of how their communities and families have known of the missing children for many years and that it is now being spoken of in the 颅mainstream.
When Duncan Mayor Michelle Staples stepped up to the microphone, she shared that Duncan City Hall was once used as a place where Indigenous children received 鈥減reparation鈥� for residential school, which included horrific things. She said she was on council for years before learning this.
This story really made me stop and think about how many other stories are out there about places we frequent regularly. What other 鈥渉istories鈥� are we not 颅acknowledging because we have never been exposed to them?
Staples shared how she worked with Indigenous communities to acknowledge the tragedies that occurred in the building that is now city hall.
When we hear these truths, which are also tragedies, there is nothing we can do to make them right, but we can listen and ask how we can be supportive.
Charla Huber is the director of communications and Indigenous relations for M鈥檃kola Housing Society.
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