'Every Child Matters' walk in Morley, Alta., recognizes residential school atrocities
Indigenous community members and their allies gathered in Morley, Alta., on Friday to recognize the intergenerational traumas of Canada’s residential school system.
The second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was commemorated with an "Every Child Matters" walk between the McDougall Memorial United Church and the Morley United Church.
Both sites carry a long and painful history for those impacted, including Valentia Fox of the Îethka First Nation, who attended residential school at Morley United.
“For us to heal, we have to tell the stories, the ugly truth that happened to residential school students. The greater society needs to hear our stories and to believe us, because we experienced it,” Fox said.
“Once that truth is out of your body, not just out of your mind, but out of your body, then it's easier to start working on healing.”
Fox spent 11 years attending residential school. She told the story of her first day, when her mother made her brand-new moccasins that were quickly taken from her by her teachers.
“Once we were there and our parents left, we were taken down to the basement, stripped of our clothes, doused with kerosene and then shoved under showers,” Fox said.
“And then later, the teachers hired a dentist to come to the school and work on children’s teeth. He pulled our teeth with no anesthetic and when we cried, he slapped us and said, ‘Shut up, you stupid little Indian.’”
Those painful memories are why a couple hundred people marched Friday in honour of the children who didn’t survive.
Walk organizer Eve Powder is a survivor of the David Bearspaw Indian School and said she was overwhelmed by the support of community members.
“Moving forward, I just want everyone to know that we're all in this together,” Powder said.
“Sometimes, I just don't want to talk about it because it just hurts. It really hurts, but we need to come together.”
The second annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was commemorated with an "Every Child Matters" walk between the McDougall Memorial United Church and the Morley United Church.
The event was also meaningful for family members of residential school survivors, including Shyles Smalleyes, whose grandparents attended residential school.
He emphasized the importance of education for younger generations.
“We need more people to listen because the more they stick around, the more they understand what happened,” Smalleyes said.
Young children attending the event who are just learning about residential schools agree that there’s no reconciliation without first learning of the past.
Akayla Haynes is just 10 years old, but she’s looking forward to listening for years to come.
“I get to see all the different cultures and find out what other people have been through,” she said.
“Events like this show that lots of people are supporting this and I'm happy about that because back in time, not many people cared.”
Friday’s event included several speakers, a powwow and a safe space for residential or day school survivors to share their stories.
For Fox, the hope is that reconciliation conversations continue to create more positive changes for Indigenous peoples in the future.
“Forgiveness, I think, is key, and forgiveness will help us move forward,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.