Members of the community gathered in front of the BWG Library Thursday evening behind an orange sunset to honour and recognize the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
It was an evening of education and reflection about the country's Residential School System that ripped Indigenous children away from their families and stripped them of their culture and customs from 1883-1996.
The event featured a smudging ceremony with prayers and storytelling from Elders Tim McGregor and Trudy Monague, words of intention from Indigenous healer Asha Frost, as well as poetry readings by Emma Jade Petherick and Nichole Castillo.
CHI SIN Drum Group performed throughout the evening accompanied by dancers Nathan Mondor and Rosilynn Williams.
"That drumbeat just brings so much healing, it reminds us of that mother earth heartbeat," said Frost, as she encouraged the crowd to place their hands on their hearts for the opening ceremony. "Take a moment to feel the spirits of our ancestors and the spirits of the children. As Indigenous folks, we strive to walk in a good way every day in the words that we speak, the actions that we take, and the vision that we hold."
"Today we are recognizing a lot of different things," said McGregor, including the number of children who never made it back home after being sent to the Residential Schools, and those who attended and did return but were traumatized from the horrific experience.
McGregor's parents attended Residential Schools, and he went to "day school", a similar concept to Residential School but children were able to come home every evening.
"The first part of reconciling means you have to accept what actually happened," he said.
A land acknowledgement was read by founding member of Bradford Women's Group and Rise Up BWG Jen Lloyd.
"The land on which we are standing today, raising our families, building our community and calling Bradford West Gwillimbury, is the traditional land of the Anishinaabe people, The Ojibway, Odawa and Potawatomi Nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy, who have inhabited this land since time began," she read.
The land is part of Treaty 18 in Ontario and contains 1,592,000 acres in total.
Jennifer Bahinski of Bella Lovelee Beads spoke about the history of Residential Schools.
"We are finally recovering the truth that we have always known, and bringing our children home with the proper respect and honour that each one of them deserves," she said. "These Indian Residential Institutions were meant to assimilate Indigenous children by stripping them of their culture, their traditions, their songs, their languages and even the removal of their traditional names."
The institutions were first established and run by Catholic priests and nuns as early as the 1600s but were not officially authorized by the government until 1883 when funding was granted.
Between 1883-1996, there were 139 institutions in existence. The closest one to Bradford was 146km away called the Alnwick Industrial School, open from 1883-1966.
It is estimated 150,000 children attended the institutions across the country.
"And sadly we know that not all made it out alive," said Bahiksi. "The truth is that over 6,000 children and counting did not, and the children that did come home never returned home the same. The lasting effects of the trauma experienced during childhood with many years of mental, physical and sexual abuse was felt for many decades to come."
The event closed off with the music video "Remember Me" by Indigenous artist Fawn Wood.
Attendees were given orange glow sticks to crack in lieu of candles, as well as tobacco ties. Tobacco ties are a sacred medicine of the Anishinaabe People, wrapped in a cotton cloth and offered as a sign of respect and gratitude.
Orange ribbons and beaded pins were also available in exchange for donations with proceeds donated to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and the Orange Shirt Society.
"It's not only the 30th of September but every day a child should matter," said McGregor.
The event was hosted by Rise Up BWG, Bella Lovelee Beads, BWG Diversity, Eartha Creations, Bradford Women's+ Group, and Impact Youth and Cultural Centre, and sponsored by A Little Bit of Everything with Me, Hay Caramba Restaurant, JQ Desserts, Santos Hair Studio, Nadia Sinclair - Mortgage Agent, and the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury.
