Today is the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. I grew up in Northwestern Ontario until I was in grade 11 and had a firsthand look at indigenous life in the 90s here in Canada. I will admit, as a child, I didn’t understand a lot of what I was seeing or being taught, and quite often, I believed stereotypes that we were taught. I am glad that we are having these discussions now because it does put a lot of my childhood memories into a sharp contrast.
I grew up in Marathon, Ontario. We had two local native communities that I remember, Biigtigong Nishnaabeg (Pic River First Nations) and Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg (Pic Mobert First Nations). As a child going to events at Pukaskwa National Park and taking part in Girl Guides, having events being led by Indigenous speakers was incredibly common. I learnt how to make Bannock and dream catchers, we got to see beautiful beading and leather work, and my Brownies and Girl Guide camps had elements from Indigenous leaders as well. I got to go to a powwow and watched as people of all ages danced in their regalia. And as a child, I didn’t understand the significance of ANY of it, and didn’t realize these opportunities were not shared across Canada.
In grade 7 or 8, I distinctly remember the big TV being rolled into our classroom and we had to watch “Where the Spirit Lives”, a movie from 1989 that was about a young girl and her brother being kidnapped and taken to a residential school. That movie was probably one of the first times that I became properly aware of what a residential school was (though I know I was taught about it before) and that it was a Bad Thing, but I assumed that pain and suffering was in the past because the movie was set in the 1930’s.
We shared a high school with the students from the native communities, and that is when I realized there were serious differences between the ways we lived. I can’t put a finger on the specifics anymore, but looking back, I probably could have been a lot more understanding. There was a lot of prejudices still and being young and not hearing much to counter it, I believed parts of it. I hope that the teens now have the education to know those differences and the systemic causes of those differences.
When my family did end up moving to Brockville, that was when I learnt that MOST Canadians did not get to have the opportunities I did as a child. They hadn’t made Bannock or listened to traditional tales and legends in their Brownies or Girl Guides. They didn’t have easy access to beautiful moccasins or gloves when driving to do their back-to-school shopping (Going to Agawa Gifts & The Canadian Carver was ALWAYS a joy when going to Sault St Marie). So, the only exposure they had to Indigenous culture was through their history books, like the Residential schools intended. Part of the past, not our present and future.
Fast forward to now. After living in some of the biggest cities in the world, I appreciate my childhood in a small rural pulp and mining town for many reasons. One of them being that I can take the things we are learning through the Day of Truth and Reconciliation, and I can put names and faces to the pain caused by our Canadian history. I can see the differences that I noticed as a kid and realize that it was not their choice to live the way they did often. Not their choice to bus their kids out of town daily for school. Not their choice that they had a fraction of the services we did in town. I look at the websites for the communities I knew as reserves and see them now as they should be seen – strong communities finding balance between modern life and traditional values that were forcefully taken away.
I really hope that people take what they are learning from the National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation and the calls to action and they get to experience Indigenous culture. Not just today, but regularly. Listen to the stories. Appreciate the drumming and dancing. Buy a pair of moccasins or beadwork – ideally from a local creator. Check out the media they’re creating and make sure their culture isn’t just seen as our past. Indigenous Tiktok is a great place.
I hope that, even if you don’t have an orange shirt today, you recognize the importance of this day and carry it on through the year.