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Evening of healing and reflection held for Canada Day in Orangeville

July 8, 2021   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

It was an evening of healing and reflection in the Town of Orangeville.

Under an orange lit Town Hall sat the Eagleheart Singers and Drummers, who sang traditional songs of the Mushkegowuk (James Bay Cree) people to a small crowd on the evening of June 30, which was uploaded to the Town’s YouTube page for Canada Day.

Bob Goulais, who sat in with the Indigenous drumming group, addressed the crowd during the ceremony to speak about the drums, their music, and the unsettling discoveries of unmarked graves near Canada’s former residential schools.

“Now we’re seeing it’s almost weekly – the news of those ones that didn’t come [home] from residential schools,” said Goulais. “When we take this drum out and we offer these songs, we offer those honour songs for them. Some of the songs that we sing are about those children or about those people and about their spirit.”

He added that Indigenous people have an important connection with the spirit world and certain songs are used to honor those who have passed on.

“We offer them in memory of those ones that are in the spirit world looking back at us, those little ones that didn’t live a full life on this earth, and were taken far too soon and unceremoniously buried in different places across Canada at these residential schools.” said Goulais.

He went on to mention that the closest residential school to Orangeville is the Mohawk Institute and many people from his territory of Nipissing First Nation were forced to attend it.

“Sometimes they ran away from school, suffering from the elements and dying, trying to get home,” Goulais remarked.

When speaking about the drum, he noted that it is very important for helping heal those that went through the residential school system.

“It brings us that healing and brings us that opportunity to comfort those survivors, our grandparents, our grandmothers, grandfathers, and all of those that are suffering each time we hear this news coming,” noted Goulais.

The Eagleheart Singers and Drummers are led by Jimmy Dick, who noted that himself and all his siblings except for his little brother Oliver were taken to residential school, where they were hit and verbally abused.

Dick said the older generations were treated even worse and sometimes got electrocuted.

St. Anne’s Residential School, which was located in James Bay where Dick grew up, used a homemade electric chair on Indigenous children.

Dick noted that the recent discoveries of unmarked graves at former residential schools in British Colombia and Saskatchewan can be very triggering for those that survived them.

“I hope that everybody says a prayer because we really need to do a lot of reconciliation and bring peace. That’s a big job – sounds easy – it’s hard to do,” said Dick.

Mayor Sandy Brown, who brought forward a motion during a June 28 Council meeting to hire the Eagleheart Drummers and Singers for a scaled back Canada Day ceremony, noted that underlying the birth of the country is the unsettling news surrounding residential schools.

“This country has provided opportunities for immigrants from over 200 nations. However, our indigenous people have not been treated kindly throughout history,” he said.

“The discovery of unmarked graves of almost 1,000 children has the entire country looking for answers and feeling compassion and empathy for indigenous people.”

Mayor Brown went on to note that the small Canada Day ceremony and lighting of municipal buildings in orange is in the spirit of reconciliation, public truth sharing, and commemoration that acknowledges past harms.

“We’re illuminating our Town Hall and the Alder Rec Complex in orange light from June 30 to July 2 to commemorate those children who’ve lost their lives in the residential schools and to honour the survivors.”

Coun. Joe Andrews, who is a long-time board member of the Dufferin County Cultural Resources Circle (DCCRC), spoke to the changes to Canada Day locally and recent discoveries at former residential schools.

“I like many have come to learn and appreciate the real ancestors of what we know today as Dufferin County, through the guidance of the elders and other members of this organization [DCCRC],” he noted. “I still try to understand the impact imposed for centuries on our First Nations people, yet I know that I can only comprehend so much because I am not of indigenous heritage. What I’m here to do today is to acknowledge, to sympathize, and support.

“Forms of support vary and cannot be just lip service. We must collectively through both our local provincial and national organizations look for ways to reimagine a future where Canada and all of its communities can and must do better,” Coun. Andrews added.

He also commended fellow councillor, Lisa Post, who brought forward a motion last Monday (June 28) that saw unanimous support to install an orange crosswalk at the intersection of Broadway and First Street. The crosswalk is meant to commemorate all of the indigenous children who were stolen from their families and forced to attend residential school.

“The crosswalk will serve as a symbolic and important step towards reconciliation in our community,” said Coun. Andrews.

The Crosswalk is to be installed by Sept. 30, which is the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada as well as Orange Shirt Day, which is a day to raise awareness and recognition of the residential school system.

“I hope as a community, we can take the time to observe the injustices of our indigenous people and look ahead for the opportunity to embrace, reflect and support,” said Coun. Andrews.

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