Truth and Reconciliation events throughout Medicine Hat

By JAMES TUBB on September 30, 2021.

There will be multiple events in Medicine Hat to help mark the first federal Truth and Reconciliation Day.

Medicine Hat’s CORE Association is hosting two drum circles today in its parking lot. They will take place at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. and will feature CORE’s kids on the block Indigenous puppets for education.

“With the recent revelations of the missing and murdered children from residential schools and with the other issues facing Indigenous peoples, we decided that we would take this day to honour that and help people remember why the day has come into place in the first place,” said Brad Connauton, manager of adult services at CORE Association.

The drum circles are in memory of the children lost in the residential schools and as a reminder that the community will not forget them, according to the CORE Association website. For anyone who can not make it down to the events in person, they are being streamed live on CORE’s Facebook page.

“We think this is all history, but it’s not history. There are a lot of issues we need to face today and this is a good way to do it,” said Connauton.

The CORE Association will be collecting donations at the drum circles that they will donate to the Miywasin Centre to help educate and support the community.

Medicine Hat College organized an event for today but cancelled due to COVID-19.

The Miywasin Centre is hosting an event at the Riverside Veteran’s mMemorial park from 5-7 p.m. They will be honouring survivors and those lost in the residential schools. For Brenda Mercer, the cultural co-ordinator for the centre, the event allows for those in pain to come together in a respectful way to talk and cry about what’s happened to Canada’s Indigenous peoples.

“I think it is an impactful day given everything going on this year with the recovery of all the bodies. I feel like this is not just an Indigenous issue, this is something that other people are upset and don’t know what to do,” she said. “I encourage them to come out because they will be able to connect and meet us, put a face to the centre.”

The event will see prayers from Elder Charlie Fox of Kainai First Nations, an honour ceremony for residential school survivors and Miywasin and Buffalo Calf- Nekaneet First Nations singers. Mercer says this is not the end of the recovery of bodies from residential schools and the centre is ready to help those upset by the findings.

She says all are welcome and are asked to be fully masked and follow social distancing guidelines in respect of the elders and one another. If anyone can not attend but is interested, she urges them to look at the National Truth and Reconciliation web site.

“They’ve got a lot of virtual things going on throughout the week and I encourage people to learn and have an open mind.”