Land blessed by elders in dedication ceremony for future Regina residential school memorial

This National Indigenous Peoples Day, a piece of land beside Government House in Regina was blessed by elders in preparation for a residential school memorial.

Throughout the day, Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty, who hosted Monday's dedication ceremony, said he felt mixed emotions as his mind trailed back to his own connection to residential schools. 

"This reinforces why the work is so important and why I undertook the work in the first place," said Mirasty, a second-generation residential school survivor and member of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band.

"In spite of the sadness, at times, the elders expressed hope for the future — and I think that's just as important as we reflect on today and the ceremonies and the work that's yet to come."

Memorial's final design still in the works

On top of drawing from his own experience, Mirasty said he's been in contact with residential school survivors and their families about ideas for the memorial. 

There have been talks to have benches painted in traditional colours, along with garden beds and trees — chosen by Indigenous elders and knowledge keepers to ensure cultural relevance — circling a monument.

More specifics, including the final design and how much it will cost the federal government, have yet to be determined.

Ultimately, Mirasty emphasized the goal of the monument will be to educate those passing through Government House — from tourists to school children — about the impact of the residential school system.

The memorial's construction is a response to the federal Truth and Reconciliation Commission's commitment to build publicly accessible, highly visible monuments to residential school survivors and their families in each capital city, according to a news release from the province earlier this year.

Sharing a moment of reflection

Politicians, including Premier Scott Moe and Opposition NDP leader Ryan Meili, joined the lieutenant governor, Indigenous leaders and elders in a pipe ceremony, after taking a tour of the memorial site.

"It's a very necessary step for us to continue in our path to healing, and continue in our path of identifying what's positive and what's negative in our history — and not repeating it," Moe told reporters afterwards.

Joseph Naytowhow, a Nehiyaw knowledge keeper from the Sturgeon Lake First Nation, said it was a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" sitting alongside politicians in a teepee in front of Government House to share a moment of reflection.

"It's different when you can get like that — and get personal," he said. "You can feel one another that way, and that adds to the way we are. [In Cree] we say mosihowin — it's really important to feel one another and feel the spirit of each other."