Reflection and Reconciliation

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This article was published 14/09/2023 (931 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To recognize the month of September and its significance to Indigenous peoples, the Southern Chiefs’ Organization is launching a month-long campaign of reflection and commemoration.

The Southern Chiefs’ Organization (SCO), which represents 34 member Dakota and Anishinaabe Nations in Manitoba, is holding the Every Child Matters Truth and Reconciliation campaign for the third year to acknowledge the tragic legacy of residential schools and day schools, missing children, the families they left behind and intergenerational survivors of colonial institutions.

It’s especially important to keep these things in mind as Manitobans send their children back to schools across the province, SCO Grand Chief Jerry Daniels says.

“The truth about this horrific time in Canadian history must be remembered. As we send our children back to school, our focus is on advancing reconciliation and renewing the relationship with non-Indigenous peoples based on recognition of rights, respect, and partnership.”

Part of the Every Child Matters multi-media campaign is the Reconciliation Run, a half-marathon that has become a national event, with runs taking place across Canada. The Manitoba event begins in the small town of Birtle, Man., located 145 kilometres northwest of Brandon, at the site of the former Birtle Residential School.

As the Sun previously reported, the Manitoba event was started by Tréchelle Bunn, a member of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation and a third-year student athlete at the University of Manitoba, where she plays defence for the Bison Women’s Hockey team. Bunn was also elected Female Youth Chief of the SCO on April 29 of this year.

In May 2021, when 215 unmarked graves were discovered on the grounds of the former Kamloops Residential School, Bunn decided to organize a Healing Walk the following month, starting at the grounds of the former Birtle Residential School and ending at the community of Birdtail Sioux — a total of 26 km. Since then, the event has transformed into a Reconciliation Run, an in-person half-marathon, which participants can choose to run or walk in.

As an intergenerational survivor of the residential school system, Bunn says she has witnessed firsthand the hurt and ongoing impacts the school has had on her family and community.

“Education is essential to the health and wellness of our children. It is important we continue to discuss the harms created by residential schools so we can work together to heal and learn from the past. I am so proud to host the Reconciliation Run in support of health, healing, and reconciliation,” Bunn said.

Combining movement and healing is something that Bunn says is a sure recipe for success, bringing the community together and providing a sense of belonging for survivors, their families, and their communities, as well as their allies and supporters.

It’s more important now than ever before for people from all walks of life and backgrounds to get involved in the Truth and Reconciliation process, Bunn previously told the Sun.

“I think we’re really seeing an awakening, and I think we have a long way to go still but … we’re definitely headed down the right path, and I’m excited for the future generations and the change that’s going to continue to happen, hopefully,” she said.

On Aug. 18, Bunn organized “Under Armour Day” in Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, a partnership she had developed with Under Armour Canada, who donated brand-new Under Armour shoes to every youth – amounting to over 200 pairs of new shoes – in Birdtail Sioux.

The response from the youth and their families was fantastic, Bunn said.

“I think it’s really getting everyone kind of geared up for the run as well. I know that’s something that a lot of people look forward to,” she said at the event.

The response from the youth and their families at Birdtail Sioux has been fantastic, Bunn said.

“A lot of the families are excited, and I think it’s really getting everyone kind of geared up for the run as well. I know that that’s something that a lot of people look forward to.”

The run has had a positive impact on her community, Bunn said.

“For a lot the (residential school) survivors, they try to walk as far as they can,” she said. “It’s also good for them to see that there’s so many people — not just within our community, but also the non-Indigenous community — that are coming out and supporting that, paying tribute to them and honouring them.”

Last month, Daniels commended Bunn for her work with Under Armour Canada and the Reconciliation Run to honour the children of Birdtail Sioux Dakota Nation, saying the SCO is incredibly proud of her efforts, which honours both the children who attended residential schools in the past and the children and youth living in Birdtail Sioux today.

“SCO commends youth chief Bunn for her initiative in honouring the children. We also commend her for helping to raise awareness about the truths of residential schools through the Reconciliation Run. Her actions show what a significant impact one person can have on the well being of a community,” Daniels said in a press release last month.

Apart from the Reconciliation Run, the SCO’s month-long campaign will include billboards and transit signs in Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage la Prairie, Dauphin, Selkirk, and Morden. The message will also be reflected on all SCO social media streams, its website, and traditional media advertising.

The campaign will conclude on Sept. 30, which marks the third annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. There will also be several events to mark the month in southern First Nations in Manitoba, including Bunn’s Reconciliation Run on Sept. 30.

September also marks the SCO’s Survivors’ Healing Program’s transition to become the Pathways to Healing Program, which provides supports, system navigation, and advocacy to families and survivors of residential schools and day schools, the ‘60s Scoop and child welfare system, and missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit, and gender-diverse people (MMIWG2S+).

The Pathways to Healing grant supports survivor-led events in SCO member Nations, and is an important resource as SCO works to provide a comprehensive continuum of care to help respond to the devastating effects of colonial practices that targeted Indigenous people, Lake Manitoba Grand Chief Cornell McLean said in a press release sent out by the SCO in early September.

“The Every Child Matters campaign provides an important annual opportunity to educate Manitobans and raise awareness as we continue to provide support for the healing of our families, communities and survivors,” McLean said.

For the month of September and all year long, Daniels said he is calling on Manitobans and Canadians to learn the truth about the children who never came home from residential schools, and what the survivors endured.

“My sincere hope is that this campaign will help build a solid foundation for reconciliation and understanding between all cultures as we continue a collective path to healing,” he said.

More information on residential schools and the SCO’s campaign can be found at scoinc.mb.ca.

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