National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada
Thursday, September 30th, 2021 has been designated as the inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. It acknowledges the horrific experiences endured by generations of Indigenous children who were forcibly enrolled in the residential school system between the 1870s and the 1990s.
Designed by Shana Elijah of Oneida Nation of the Thames, the image features a baby wrapped in a moss bag, in a tikinagan (Cree) also known as a cradleboard (English). Shana describes the graphic as "a baby lovingly wrapped up in a cradle board. It goes along with the theme of every child matters. It takes a lot of work to make one and decorate it for each child representing their family in the stitches, design and beadwork."
Cradleboards were common in Anishinaabe, Cree and Haudenosaunee communities, allowing babies to be comfortable and swaddled while allowing them to be leaned up against a tree or rock so that their mother could still go about daily tasks, but the baby could still hear, see and smell everything around them. In many Indigenous cultures, we are taught babies learn from observing, before they are old enough to participate in community by doing. This cultural practice, like many others, was demonized and considered unhealthy for the baby by settlers and discouraged - however many people continued to use them regardless, and still use them today.
We would like to work collectively on healing the impact of colonization on our communities and Peoples.
In observance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Every Child Matters, you are encouraged to wear an orange shirt to help raise awareness of the tragic legacy of the residential schools.
How to mark the 1st National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Ottawa | CBC News
How To Talk To Kids About The National Day For Truth And Reconciliation | Learning (cbc.ca)
Truth and Reconciliation Week - NCTR
Review the Truth and Reconciliation reports, archives, Calls to Action and educational resources:
NCTR - National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation
Listen to former Senator and Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Murray Sinclair’s statement on the discovery at the former Residential School site in Kamloops:
Murray Sinclair delivers statement on discovery at Kamloops residential school | CBC.ca
Read the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP):