A sacred fire has been burning in Confederation Park for the past few days, in remembrance of the 215 Indigenous children found buried in unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School in May 2021.
Kathy Brant is a member of the Grandmothers Council and says the sacred fire allows members of the Indigenous community to come together and grieve their loss.
“The only thing that goes in it is wood or our medicines,” said Brant.
“No garbage, no Kleenex, things like that. Unless you have tears. If there are tears in the tissue, you can put that in. But that’s the only reason why you would throw that in there.”
Read more: Mapping the missing: Former residential school sites in Canada and the search for unmarked graves
The ceremony featured a drum circle around the fire, along with attendees sharing words of reflection.
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Brant says for reconcilliation to move forward, many longstanding issues still need to be addressed.
“We want to be treated in a humane way, like any other human wants to be treated. Unfortunately, that’s not happening. In some of the medical places, in some of the housing places, in some of the street places, it’s not happening,” Brant told Global Kingston.
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City Hall, located across the street from Confederation Park, will be illuminated orange and flags are lowered to half staff.
“This was in reflection of a period of mourning, understanding and awareness for children who had been lost at residential schools,” said Jennifer Campbell, the municipality’s Director of Heritage Services.
“Also those people who survived schools and continue to live with the legacy of those experiences today.”
The sacred fire will officially close Tuesday night, and is expected to return to Confederation Park again next month.
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