Orange shirt in support of Indigenous children killed in a Kamloops residential school. (Tsow Tun Le Lum RHSW Support/Facebook)
Memorial Walk

Flying Dust First Nation plans memorial walk to honour 215 children

Jun 2, 2021 | 3:01 PM

In the days after the discovery of 215 Indigenous children’s bodies at a residential school in Kamloops, B.C., Flying Dust First Nation is organizing a memorial walk to honour the lives that were lost.

The walk is set to take place on Friday, June 4 at 1 p.m. at the Roman Catholic Church. Some of the organizers and attendees are expected to wear orange shirts and ribbon skirts to symbolize their support for the Indigenous lives that were lost in residential schools.

Brenda Norman with Flying Dust First Nation said the City of Meadow Lake and schools in the area are welcome to participate and offer their support.

“It’s going to be a peaceful walk in honour of all of the children who never made it home,” Norman explained. “We’re going to have a moment of silence at 2:15 for respect for the children who lost their lives. We’ll also have a speaker sharing why we’re doing this walk, and we’ll have Elders sharing their stories. We’re going to have staff there that are qualified in case somebody gets triggered, and the RCMP will be escorting us.”

Glenda Wuttunee of Flying Dust First Nation said the walk serves to raise awareness to the adversity and plight Indigenous people have faced over the years. She stated she hopes this will create a better understanding of the trauma Indigenous people continue to face today so that healing can take place.

She added the discovery of the 215 children in Kamloops has stirred up many emotions with colleagues, family members and community Elders of their experiences in residential schools.

“We want to get people that don’t have a full understanding of what our ancestors actually went through, and let them know the atrocities that were placed upon our people, and that those things are still evident in this generation. The only way to sum it up is genocide. We’re still standing today, and we’re hoping that it brings healing and forgiveness so that we can move forward, because we need to move forward,” Wuttunee said.

“The goal is to remember these families and these children that have been murdered, to give them respect and to pray for these families. I can’t imagine living all of those years not knowing where your children, your siblings, your family is. We’re praying for healing, forgiveness and a place where we can move forward in the future for this generation and for us.”

elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp

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