‘The strength of our spirit; the love that binds us together’

“When we think of reconciliation, it’s an ongoing thing; it’s going to take a long, long time for us to get through this and to feel comfortable with it.”

–  William Greenland

Reconciliation is a demanding process that requires significant time and effort, but there needs to be a point where the inter-generational impact of colonization and residential schools eases, says prominent NWT Elder William Greenland.

The traditional counsellor and co-founder of the Arctic Indigenous Wellness Camp was hosting an early march on Thursday, September 26th, to mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day on September 30th.

Said Greenland: “(We’re here) to honor our residential school survivors, our intergenerational survivors, those little ones that are still coming, who are also affected by what happened. I was talking to somebody this morning about a lady who had a baby and they were sick, and it’s from the drugs and the alcohol, and this baby is born not well. That stems from those times, because it’s passed down to us. It’s a learned behavior that we that we don’t realize that whatever our parents did, we did whatever we do, we pass it on to our children.

“Our children pass it on to theirs. And it keeps going like that until somewhere along the way, we got to get this stuff to stop. We got to get our people together to start talking in a way where we’re going to get past this, and we’re going to feel good about ourselves and our future generations. (So that) our little children, can stand on our shoulders and look ahead to see that there’s something good still coming; there’s goodness ahead of us.”

Some 60 people gathered at Yellowknife City Hall and marched to the NWT Legislative Assembly a few days before the actual day of remembrance and action.

The Dene Nation, Denendeh Investment Corporation, NAKA Power, Native Womens Association, and Yellowknives Dene First Nation took part for anyone who might be otherwise unavailable on Tuesday.

“In respect to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which is coming up in the next few days … there’s a lot of stuff that’s going to happen on that day, but I’m sure that NAKA Power wanted to do this and honour their employees that are Indigenous, and people working our Indigenous organizations,” said Greenland.

Speakers highlighted the inter-generational impact of residential schools, urging continuous dialogue and support.

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Residential school survivors who spoke stressed the need for public education, reflection, and commemoration.

Representing the Dene Nation, Wilbert Cook spoke about the “difficult years” in the residential school system.

“I also am a product of the residential school system,” Cook said, becoming emotional. “I’m just recognizing my brother, who was with me during those difficult years, difficult times at residential school, also at federal day school and we also were part of the day home boarding things that went on.

“We have to remember the past, the injustices endured by our people, these experiences have left deep scars, but they have also ignited a powerful resolve within us while we reflect on the wrongs of the past.”

Cook continued: “It is vital to recognize the strength of our spirit and the love that binds us together. Each of us here is part of a journey towards healing, a journey that involves not just looking back, but also forging a brighter path forward.

“You know, reconciliation is not just a word. It must be an ongoing commitment to understanding one another, to listening and to walking alongside each other as allies and friends. We continue to call on Canada to expedite the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to action and to be held accountable for what they did to us.”

Cook thanked everyone who took part in Thursday’s march: “Our heartfelt gratitude.”

“Your presence demonstrates a shared commitment to healing and truth. By lifting each other up, we can transform wounds into wisdom and ensure that our children inherit a legacy of love, respect, unity and a future we can look forward to.”