Baawaating to honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

A number of events have been planned to commemorate the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Baawaating (Sault Ste. Marie) Sept. 30. 

According to a federal government website, the statutory holiday is intended to “honour the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.” 

It also coincides with Orange Shirt Day, an Indigenous-led grassroots acknowledgment of the intergenerational impacts of the residential school system and proponent of the Every Child Matters movement. 

All Canadians are encouraged to wear orange Sept. 30 in order to honour the thousands of survivors of residential schools. 

Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig celebrates grand opening

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation kicks off in Sault Ste. Marie with the grand opening of Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig at 1491 Queen Street East, located across the street from Algoma University.  

The grand opening will feature: 

• guest speakers
• panel discussions
• water ceremony
• blanket exercise
• workshops

Guided tours will also be offered:

• SKG building and architecture
• National Chiefs Library
• medicine garden

The Anishinaabe post-secondary institution aims to develop and provide academic programs, workshops and seminars which reflect the Anishinaabe worldview, distinguished by Anishinaabe ways of learning and knowing. The institute, which is home to the National Chief’s Library, is one of nine Indigenous institutes of higher learning that are legally recognized in Ontario. 

The full agenda for the grand opening can be found here.

Algoma University offering Shingwauk site tours, full day of events 

Algoma University will host a number of activities to acknowledge the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on campus Sept. 30 beginning with welcoming remarks, a land acknowledgement and a flag raising beginning at 8:45 a.m. in front of Shingwauk Hall. 

In-person and virtual tours of the former grounds of Shingwauk Residential School will be offered throughout the course of the day. A walk to the water at Bellevue Park will begin on the front steps of Shingwauk Hall at 11 a.m. 

The full rundown of events at Algoma University can be found here. 

Indigenous Tourism Ontario hosts Weekend for Truth and Reconciliation events in Sault, drone show in Garden River First Nation 

The grand opening at SKG is being held in partnership with Indigenous Tourism Ontario (ITO), which is billing Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 as the Weekend for Truth and Reconciliation. 

ITO will stage a special drone show at Silver Creek Golf Course in Garden River First Nation (104 Belleau Lake Road). The show will use more than 200 drones to illustrate a creation story about truth and reconciliation (Mewnizha) that will be told by elder Barbara Nolan in both Anishinaabemowin (9:30 p.m.) and English (10 p.m.). 

Indigenous culture will be celebrated the following day (Oct. 1) at the Agawa Train Station and The Machine Shop beginning at noon. 

The events include: 

• shopping the Indigenous vendor marketplace
• Indigenous food
• learning about Indigenous tourism experiences in Ontario
• live local music at the OLG Stage featuring Adrian Sutherland (6 p.m.)

More information about ITO’s Weekend for Truth and Reconciliation can be found here.