September 30 was a day of reflection, sharing knowledge, and having meaningful discussion at three events dedicated to Day of Truth and Reconciliation in Mînî Thnî and Cochrane.
A welcoming prayer and traditional smudging opened a brief ceremony at the Cochrane RCMP detachment in front of their tipi raised in recognition of the day.
"Reconciliation is not an act of forgetting or ignoring the wounds of the past," said RCMP Insp. Dave Brunner. "Instead, it is a courageous and intentional effort to confront our history, learn from it, and build bridges of understanding across the chasms of misunderstanding and mistrust."
He said we must acknowledge the past and look forward to a brighter future.
"The RCMP is committed to building, maintaining strong, healthy and mutually respectful relationships with the individuals and communities we serve moving forward together."
He said one of the highlights for him was the number of young people in attendance.
"They are the path forward and they are the future to help build reconciliation with the Indigenous people and most of the crowd was young people."
Jeanette Wildman, a residential school survivor and the Stoney Nakoda RCMP liaison, spoke in hopes of helping to create a better relationship with neighbouring Cochrane.
She said the discovery of the graves of Indigenous children in June 2021 opened the eyes of Canadians.
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"The finding of the graveyards was an eye opener, and I believe Mother Earth intended that to happen, that the children be found in hopes of opening the eyes of Canadians and, of course, of the world to know who we are as Indigenous peoples."
"It's not as fast as we'd like it to be, but at least it's a start for people to start understanding us and to say, hey, residential schools were real. The effect is real for survivors like me who went through it, four-years-old without the affection and love of parents.
"I'm just happy my grandchildren don't go through that now. We couldn't leave residential school. We had to live there and endure all the atrocities and the abuse that they did to us. We had to survive."
Sadly, she says many children didn't survive.
"My grandfather talked about the Red Deer Industrial School. His brother was sent there, and he never saw him again. They were told that they died of measles or chickenpox or something, but their bodies were never returned."
The walk from the McDougall Memorial to the heart of Mînî Thnî was over 100 strong for the annual Îyârhe (Stoney) Nakoda First Nation Every Child Matters Walk. Following a pipe ceremony and a few speeches, organizer Eve Powder and drummers and singers lead the 2.8 km walk along Hwy. 1A. Pow Wow dancing followed.
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Cochrane’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation event drew an overflowing crowd to The Station. Following opening presentations, the Survivors' Flag was raised. The afternoon included tipi talks, hide tanning displays. LetterPress Postcards for Truth and Reconciliation, Métis Storytime, and reconciliation conversations.
The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
