For the 11th anniversary of Orange Shirt Day, now known across Canada at the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, NOTLers and town staff are taking the time to reflect on the past of their country and educate themselves more on Indigenous culture and history.
During a ceremony Friday afternoon, town staff raised and lowered an orange flag outside of town hall to usher in remembrance and reflection for the upcoming holiday on Sept. 30.
The flag, which bears the Orange Shirt Day slogan “Every Child Matters,” will be at half-mast until Oct. 1.
The National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, which became a statutory holiday for federal workers in 2021, is a day of remembrance in recognition of the impact caused by the Canadian Indian residential school system.
The ceremony also featured a performance from the Strong Water Singers, an award-winning collective of Indigenous drummers from Niagara.
MP Wayne Gates spoke following Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa to encourage staff and residents to put effort into their education on Monday.
“We still have Six Nations people who have gone 18 years with a water advisory, they can’t drink the water, we have children up north and young women being raped and murdered still in this country,” Gates said.
“We fix it by coming together and becoming one to say, ‘This is wrong in this country, this is wrong in this province,’” he said.
The day off from work should be used to educate your kids, go on walks and find out exactly what you can do to be there for Indigenous communities in Canada, Gates said.
Members of Strong Water Singers shared a number of resources with The Lake Report that residents can look into for education, including the Niagara Regional Native Centre, the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
The Truth and Reconciliation is an especially great resource because they have all calls to action listed on their website, singer Larissa Engels said.
For those interested in supporting Indigenous-owned businesses, singer Mika Woolley encouraged residents to look into her business Indigenous Dreams, which specializes in custom art including beadwork, dreamcatchers and prints.
Gates is going to spend Sept. 30 on a walk in Fort Erie that ends at the Native Centre where they will chat about Indigenous art and culture and taste test some food, he said.
Zalepa is looking forward to taking in some Indigenous literature this Monday.
“I started reading John Norton’s memoirs, so I’m going to try and finish it. I find them really eye-opening,” he said.
The Mohawk chief stood shoulder-to-shoulder with pillars of the NOTL community like the Butlers, Zalepa said.
He became a military leader of Iroquois warriors in the War of 1812 against the United States.
Zalepa added that council is hard at work strengthening the town’s relationship with the Niagara Regional Native Centre.
“We are working along with them on several exciting opportunities,” Zalepa said.
There are several ways for NOTLers to take part in the reflective and educational experience this Sept. 30.
On Monday, Niagara Parks is encouraging people to plan a visit to the Landscape of Nations Memorial within Queenston Heights Park.
The living memorial affirms the place of Indigenous peoples at the forefront of both Niagara and Canada’s history, including those who took part in the War of 1812.
Over at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum, “Landscape of Nations: Beyond the Mist” is a new anthology published by Niagara Parks and Plenty Canada available for purchase.
It explores Indigenous life along the Niagara River corridor, chronicling 13,000 years of Indigenous presence in Niagara, available for purchase — a group of 17 authors, who are leading scholars and Indigenous knowledge-keepers with expertise on Indigenous history and culture, contributed to the book.
For those looking for a comprehensive guide of resources to learn from and share with others, the NOTL Public Library has compiled a guide of educational materials, reports and calls to action, available here.
