The Colouring It Forward Reconciliation Society’s third annual Pokaiks (pookehks), also known as The Children: Orange Shirt Day Walk, will take place on Saturday, Sept. 25 starting at 10 a.m. in Calgary.
The walk will go from the corner of 3rd St. SW and Stephens Avenue to the Olympic Park Plaza. It will be followed by dancers and performances for the remainder of the afternoon starting at 11 a.m. and running until 3 p.m.
The society hosts this event to honour and remember the victims of Canada’s residential school system. The event is intended to bring members of the city’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities together to pay tribute to the children of the past, present and future through music and art. It will also feature special speakers.
Safety measures and social distancing will be in place to ensure alignment with all Alberta Health Services pandemic protocols.
“With the first instance of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on the horizon, this, and other Orange Shirt events, are more poignant than ever, signifying solidarity as the nation stands with Indigenous communities and takes tangible steps towards to reconciliation’, reads a media release.
The Colouring It Forward Reconciliation Society founder and event organizer, Diana Frost, tells us why this event is near and dear to her heart.
“My mother and my two uncles were in a residential school for more than ten years. They didn’t see their family that whole time. And as a result, my mom didn’t really know much about our culture and it took me a long time to start learning and connecting so, you know, we’ve had other issues in our family with intergenerational trauma and all this. So we’re just trying to work through that. Organizing these events is part of my healing so it’s been a good journey so far.”
Tapisa Kilabuk is one of the event coordinators and says she is thankful for the support from the event sponsors.
The organizers have been supported by many groups, including the City of Calgary, Calgary Arts Development, the Government of Alberta and some small businesses who invested in the society to be able to host the free event.
“We are having a free lunch by Kokôm’s Bannock Kitchen and so she is making us some stew and some bannock and Calgary Police is actually bringing us water for the event for everyone and we’re going to have some just little packages for children to be able to take home that have some colouring pages in it and some orange shirt stickers.
Frost tells us about the art exhibit event they have organized at the Southcentre Mall for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30th.
“This specific event will start at 1 p.m. and it will go until 3 p.m. with the drumming and the dancing and the speaking, and the art itself inside the mall has been on exhibit since Sept. 1st and will stay up until Oct.10th.”
The event will have vendors, artisans, a drag queen performer and even Juno award winner Caleigh Cardinal. DerRic Starlight from Indigenous Puppets, Métis jiggers, Elders and other speakers are also scheduled.
Be sure to check out these two great events to commemorate and show your support for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation.
Colouring it Forward Reconciliation Society focuses on advancing education on Indigenous issues, art, language and culture through a grassroots approach.
They collaborate with other community organizations to deliver art-based workshops and events that provide education through Indigenous ways of knowing and to promote healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
Check out their website for more information.