The Ininew Friendship Centre is the lead agency for events to mark Monday’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation – or “Orange Shirt Day” in Cochrane.
Executive director Tyler Beaton says it begins with a sunrise ceremony on the Indigenous cultural grounds on Genier Road.
“Folks are encouraged to come out, pay tribute to the rising sun and to the day, and offer tobacco as prayer in that piece of ceremony,” he says, “so that’s starting at 7:15.”
Beaton adds that all the activities are inclusive. Anyone is welcome, regardless of ethnicity.
At 11:00am, participants will walk from the Centre on Third Ave. to the Commando Pavilion., wearing orange shirts and displaying Every Child Matters flags.
“We’re expecting to arrive there around 11:30 and we have a couple of guest speakers talking about the impacts of residential school to them individually,” remarks Beaton, “as well as the impacts to families of survivors of Indian residential schools.”
There will also be the planting of 215 orange flags, representing all of the bodies originally found at residential schools.
Then at 12:30pm, there’s a free community lunch, back at Ininew.
