Happy Friday, friends! Today (30th of Sept), I am going to concentrate on Truth and Reconciliation day, and some of my favourites related to that. If you don't know what that is, Google is your friend, but it used to be called Orange Shirt Day. This day in the past has not been a day off, but two or three years ago, our federal government declared this day a stat holiday, and this year was the second year in a row that this has been day off. You can get more information about Orange Shirt Day and Phyllis Webstad here.
1) My favourite orange shirt is one I got last summer from a lady who was selling them for a friend. I got Anker and I both one, and although it doesn't look great on me, I love the message. One of my favourite scrunchies comes from SProductsDesignStyle. It is orange and funds from that went to Kamloops Indian Residential School Survivors' Fund.
2) My favourite movie (I admit I don't watch a lot..I have to get better at that) surrounding this subject is "Indian Horse". I watched it this evening with my friend. I was procrastinating watching it for years, b/c I knew that it would be sad. Mom watched it a year or so ago, and warned me. I was very angry when it was done.
3) Tk'emlúps is one of my favourite places to be. We sit on the unceded territory of the Secwépemc Tk'emlúps First Nation People. The name means "The Meeting of the Waters", and it does have two waters that meet in town. The North (from the valley) Thompson and the South (that comes out of the Secwépemc (Shuswap) Lakes.
4) My favourite Secwépemc museum has been closed since CVD, and it is just a wonderful source of information. I went to the website, and it still says it is closed, and I hope that they reopen. If you are local, keep this site bookmarked for a future field trip.
5) Although I am not great at watching/listening to a lot of First Nation programming, I have watched some shows on APTN, & CBC always have some wonderful and educational programming. I also have listened to a podcast on Spotify called "Kuper Island". I haven't even finished it yet. That is how bad I am at listening (though I am not a huge podcast listener, anyway). Our local radio station (Country 103) even did a "Day of Listening" on the station today. They had several First Nation People talking about their experiences, etc.
6) This baby at a Saskatchewan Powwow went viral in August and it was the most adorable thing I have ever seen! Click here to take a look and listen :) You will thank me later.
7) One of my favourite First Nation people to follow is Ashley Callingbull. I follow her on IG, and I love her. I first heard of her when I saw her on Amazing Race Canada a few years back. She is from the Enoch Cree First Nation reserve in Alberta, and she is stunning and as she is educational :) There are also a few others who I follow. One lady (and I cannot remember her name on IG. I have been trying to find her online for a half hour) is a phenomenal dancer. I also follow James Jones on IG, and he has some wonderful funny skits/videos that the does. I also have started following Wad Kinew on IG, but I learned about him last year, as he spoke in the House of Commons. I think I follow him on FB.
8) I love bannock, salmon, and berries. I enjoyed watching the Salmon run a few years ago when I was working at the school. It was an hour or so away, and it was so fun! Every four years they do Salute to the Sockeye Salmon every four years. It is super fun!!! We had an Indigenous cafe open awhile back, and I cannot wait to try it one day. Kekuli Cafe primarily serves bannock, and I have heard that it is fantastic!
9) I have looked through a few books about First Nation History. I haven't fully read one (yah, I know..I am terrible), but one book that I have looked through a few times is called, They Called Me Number One. Another book that I have read through a couple of times is written by the lady who started the "Orange Shirt Day" movement/awareness, Phyllis Webstad called Beyond the Orange Shirt Story, and one for children called, Phyllis's Orange Shirt. I have a couple of books out from the library now; one being called 21 Things that You May Not Know About The Indian Act. And yes, I have read through some of it. Another book I have out called is called Standoff. There are also a few children's books that I have read that talk about the Residential schools that I have taken out of the library and I have read in recent years. One is called Shin-Chi's Canoe. There are lots of more, of course, but I won't bother with naming/linking the books. One more that I like is called, I Lost My Talk (She also has written one called "I'm Finding My Talk"). I would say that one of the best places to learn about the Residential Schools (and their survivors) would be to check out National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed in 2008 to tell survivor's stories. I have this bookmarked on/to my favourites on my laptop. I should look at it more than I do :)
10) I have a friend who is First Nations, and we spend quite a bit of time together. I will sometimes ask her about her traditions, food, teachings, her growing up years, etc :) I love learning from others.
1 comment:
I like the message on the orange shirt too about "Every child matters".
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