W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona recently hosted a group of special guests to commemorate Orange Shirt Day, now recognized as Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
This annual event unites Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities in the spirit of hope, healing and reconciliation, and it is a day to honor residential school survivors, their families and the broader communities.
The orange shirt has become a powerful symbol, bearing the message ‘Every Child Matters’, and it is worn as an emblem of solidarity and support for truth and reconciliation.
W.C. Miller students and staff were encouraged to wear orange shirts to show their support, and Jonathan Atkinson from Roseau River First Nation came to speak along with the Joe Creek Singers and dancers to perform.
The group, dressed in traditional regalia, performed a variety of Indigenous dances, providing students with a cultural and educational experience.
Reflecting on the event, teacher Mick Friesen emphasized the importance of education in advancing the goals of truth and reconciliation.
“We’re working on the education piece. I’ve been educating myself because of the job that I do, but we want to pass that on to the kids,” Friesen said.
“We want them to have a true understanding of the unfortunate and unjust things that have happened. Because if we’re going to move forward and develop stronger relationships and work at some of the brokenness, we need to learn about each other.”
The event reached a touching conclusion when students were invited to join the performers in a ‘friendship dance’, and Friesen expressed his joy in seeing students and visitors dancing together.
“When I saw them dancing together, I was so happy, and I was so glad that Jonathan invited them. We’re all a part of this, and powwows are open to anyone. You can show up and you will always be welcomed into that circle. I think we could all learn from that,” he said.
One of the dancers, 14-year-old Kristina Nelson, shared her experience of participating in the event.
“I love seeing the smiles on people’s faces when I dance. It helps me reconnect to my heritage,” she said. “It takes a lot of practice to learn. I was shy at first, but my dad encourages me a lot.
“I’m still learning about truth and reconciliation. I believe it’s important to stay in touch with my heritage.”
Atkinson, an Ojibway dancer, echoed similar sentiments and emphasized the importance of passing down cultural traditions and sharing them with younger generations.
“It’s good to share these things with high school students who may never have seen dancing like this before. Anybody can pick this up. You don’t have to be First Nations. Like many things, if you have the heart, and it’s what you want in life, you go get it,” Atkinson explained.
When asked about what Truth and Reconciliation meant to him personally, Atkinson shared a deeply personal story about his own journey of self-acceptance.
“I’ve been living it my whole life. I turned against my own people when I became a hockey player and was going to school. I didn’t want to be who I was for a long time because of the way I was treated.
“It took me a while to face that and tell my parents I didn’t want to be who I was. Until the day I saw what I saw and realized it was always right there. You just live your light. Get your education, get into sports. But you’re always welcome back, no matter what. It’s always there waiting for you,” he said.
Atkinson credited his parents for helping him remember who he was, adding that “I have friends from all over the world, all types of religions and skin colour, and they never looked at me like that. And with education and sports, I was looked at that way by my own people. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes devastating things to happen for people to come together again.”
“We’re here to tell the true story and learn about things that happened in the past that should not have happened and to build relationships,” Friesen concluded. “This was a fantastic opportunity to become a bit more familiar with the culture and move forward in the spirit of truth and reconciliation.”
Photos by Lori Penner/Voice
Caleb Atkinson presented the Prairie Chicken Dance as part of the Orange Shirt Day event at W.C. Miller Collegiate in Altona. Students were invited to join the friendship dance, and the Joe Creek Singers included Jonathan Atkinson, Roger Nelson, Colton Seenie, Brad Boyd, Mark Nelson, Jordan Seenie and Malcolm Wilson
