'It's so heartwarming': UW marks National Day of Truth and Reconciliation
The opening of a new Indigenous gathering space and a walk around Ring Road marked the day.
A sea of orange shirts flowed along Ring Road at the University of Waterloo and the sounds of traditional drums and chanting filled the campus on Monday for the university's annual program for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
"It's so heartwarming, every year when we do this it grows. It's bigger and bigger and more and more people are becoming aware," said Jean Becker, the university's associate vice president of Indigenous relations.
To mark the day, the University of Waterloo planned a morning and afternoon filled with dancing, drumming and remarks from elders.
The day is held to honour the children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. Attendees wore orange to honour the story of Phyllis Webstad, a survivor of the St. Joseph Mission Residential School, whose grandmother had given her an orange shirt that was later stripped and stolen.
"It gives us a chance to send our message that we love them, and we wish it didn't happen, but we're going to try to make things better," said Myeengun Henry, an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper.
The day began with a Sunrise Ceremony and the opening of UW's new Indigenous Gathering Space as well as a Commitment Polishing Ceremony.
A new place to gather
The day also included an opening ceremony for the university's new Indigenous gathering space.
The project was headed by Ryan Gorrie and a team of Indigenous architects from BrookMcIlroy and the university also reached out to its community and beyond for input.
"We want our children and our grandchildren to grow up knowing that they belong here, that they're not dispensable, that they're not unimportant," said Becker. "The structure is a visible reminder that we're here, and that we plan to stay."
Each element of the new outdoor space is specifically designed to reflect and highlight the relationship of First Nations, Métis and Inuit people with this land. The roof design is modelled after a trout species native to Grand River. Its 33 posts represent a treed forest. The wood chosen for the seating area is Alaskan yellow cedar. Wind is able to freely flow through the roof, allowing for ease of interaction with the elements. Henry said it's a testament to what can be achieved through Indigenous ways of knowing.
"We get caught up in the negative stuff… but when we look beyond that, there's beauty because we can add to this country's wealth by talking about the things we know," said Henry.
The afternoon ended with a soup and bannock lunch along with drumming and dancing in the new outdoor space.
"I really think this generation's lucky. We're just at the beginning though. We have a lot of work to do, and this is a good start," said Henry.
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With files from Aastha Shetty