Photo: Community members decorate moccasin vamps and contributed to the artwork displayed at the Melfort Museum.
By: Nicole Goldsworthy,
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter,
SASKTODAY.ca
Melfort residents will have an opportunity to gather, learn and reflect ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation during a community round dance and walk on Sept. 29.
The event begins at 10:30 a.m. at the Melfort and Unit Comprehensive Collegiate (MUCC) track and is hosted by Reconciliation Melfort in partnership with MUCC and the Melfort and District Museum.
Organizers describe the gathering as a day focused on reflection, respect, relationships and reconciliation. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Reconciliation Melfort said the gathering will begin with speakers and a round dance before participants set out on a community walk. Participants will start and finish at the MUCC track.
Reconciliation Melfort describes a round dance as a traditional Indigenous gathering that brings together people of different ages, backgrounds and cultures. Organizers will guide participants through the round dance, with people gathering in a circle and moving to the left to the beat of the drum.
The walk is intended to honour residential school survivors, remember the children who did not return home and promote healing and unity. “Walking together is a way of recognizing shared history and demonstrating a commitment to being better neighbours, friends and allies,” Reconciliation Melfort said.
The event is being held one day before the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day, which are observed annually on Sept. 30.
Orange Shirt Day began as a grassroots initiative in 2013 and is connected to the experience of residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad. The orange shirt has come to symbolize the loss of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children in the residential school system, according to the Government of Canada.
The Sept. 29 gathering will also connect with a community art project that has been developing in Melfort throughout the summer.
The Melfort and District Museum said it partnered with Reconciliation Melfort on Walking in Reconciliation, a community art project that began on National Indigenous Peoples Day.
Community members were invited to decorate moccasin vamps and contribute them to the artwork. The project remained on display at the museum throughout the summer, where museum visitors and children participating in the museum’s Time Warp program continued adding pieces. Reconciliation Melfort also provided additional opportunities for community members to participate.
With the project now complete, the artwork has been moved to Suncrest College in recognition of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, according to the museum.
The museum is encouraging people attending the Sept. 29 round dance and walk to visit the completed Walking in Reconciliation artwork while taking part in the day’s activities.
The community event comes as organizations across Canada prepare to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30 through educational and commemorative activities. The federal government says public commemoration of the history and lasting effects of residential schools is an important part of the reconciliation process.
Reconciliation Melfort members who contributed the Truth and Reconciliation project