The Western Fair District Agriplex in London, Ont., saw hundreds of people wearing orange as the community gathered to mark the third National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Saturday also marked 10 years of Orange Shirt Day.
London’s Atlohsa and Deshkan Ziibiing community groups hosted an event with education booths, Indigenous artworks and crafts, a drum group acknowledgment and more.
Gordon Nicotine-Sands, originally from Bkejwanong territory and the Poundmaker Cree Nation in Saskatchewan, emceed the event.
“As First Nations people, it gives us a lot of joy to see our children grow and to play,” he said to the crowd. “What gives our people pleasure is to see them happy… so it’s no wonder that they attack us where they knew they were going to hurt us the most, (which is) our kids.”
“But your attendance here today is proving that they didn’t quite have what it takes to rid us of our future generations, our happiness, our hearts… it’s a testament to the resiliency of the spirit that resides in all Indigenous people,” he continued.
Gina McGahey, cultural director for Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, spoke at the event about the Mount Elgin Indian Residential School, located southwest of London.
The school opened in the 1800s and as of today, the only building left is an abandoned barn. Chippewas of the Thames First Nation has been raising funds to turn the barn into a museum and interpretive centre.
“We had 22 nations that attended the school and the reason we’re saving the barn is because former students back in those days etched their name and the year they were in, as well as any messages they left behind for us to remember,” she said. “This is worth the effort because survivors have told us that we should never, ever forget.”
An evening fundraising concert will take place on Saturday at the Western Fair District Agriplex.
Doors open at 5 p.m. for the concert, which is expected to begin at 6 p.m. Proceeds will go toward saving the remaining structure of the Mount Elgin Indian Industrial School barn.
More than 150,000 First Nations, Inuit and Métis children from across the country were forced to attend residential schools.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission which investigated the residential school system and its legacy estimated that around 6,000 Indigenous children died at the federally funded institutions.
The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation maintains a student memorial register with more than 4,000 names. Many experts believe the actual number to be much higher.
– with files from Global News’ Jacquelyn LeBel, Amy Simon, Haley Lewis and Sawyer Bogdan as well as The Canadian Press’ Stephanie Taylor