Published by the CBC Kids team | Last Updated June 04, 2024
Orange Shirt Day began in Williams Lake in 2013 and has since spread to schools across B.C. and Canada. (Orangeshirtday.org)
Orange Shirt Day (September 30th) is a day when we honour the Indigenous children who were sent away to residential schools in Canada. Many never returned home, ever.
Residential schools were church-run schools where approximately 150,000 Métis, Inuit and First Nations children were sent between the 1830s and the 1990s.
The schools harmed Indigenous children by removing them from their families and forcing them to speak English or French instead of their ancestral languages. They were also disconnected them from their culture and traditions and forced to adopt Christianity in order to be assimilated into Canadian society.
The government has since acknowledged that this approach was wrong, cruel and ineffective, and offered an official apology to the Indigenous people of Canada in 2008. Many churches who participated in the residential school programs have offered their own apologies.
September 30th falls during the time of year when Indigenous children were taken away to residential school. Today, it’s also known as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The “orange shirt” in Orange Shirt Day refers to the new shirt that Phyllis Webstad was given to her by her grandmother for her first day of school at St. Joseph’s Mission residential school in British Columbia. When Phyllis got to school, they took away her clothes, including her new shirt. It was never returned.
To Phyllis, the colour orange has always reminded her of her experiences at residential school and, as she has said, “how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”
The message that Phyllis wants to pass along on Orange Shirt Day — and every day — is that every child matters. Orange Shirt Day was started by Phyllis to educate people about residential schools and to fight racism and bullying.
My own Orange Shirt Day experience — Ken Gray
I have a particular connection with Orange Shirt Day. Seven years ago, I travelled to Lytton BC, to the Lytton First Nation with Anglican Bishop Barbara Andrews who identifies as both Indigenous Cree and Metis. The Anglican Church of Canada had just authorized the release of the names of Children who never returned home from St. George’s School, Lytton. These names were to be delivered to RS survivors, their descendants, and to the community.
The name of each lost child was printed on a special card. Upon arrival at the Lytton STEIN VALLEY NLAKAPAMUX SCHOOL on Lytton First Nation land, the cards were presented to a school teacher who in turn gave one to each elementary-age student. After a time of greeting, as we formed a circle together, the teacher read out the name of each missing student. The student holding that child’s name card would stand when announced. The room was silent, mournful, respectful. We were not rushed. Bishop Barbara, the local priest, Angus, and I represented the church. Many of the students remembered were the same age as those holding up the cards; or younger. Later comments and stories were invited from all those gathered. A few cards were left blank as we expected more names to come forward. These were added to the list of those previously identified.
Few descendants of settlers such as myself will be invited to such ceremonies. I was privileged to attend, an attendance I will never forget for which I am most grateful.
Following the ceremonies Bishop Barbara turned her phone on as she had silenced it during the ceremony. She found multiple messages on her phone advising her of the birth of a new granddaughter. As we remembered those who never returned, in an act of remembrance and truth-telling, a new generation appeared September 30, seven years ago, as our shared reconciliation journey continued from generation to generation.
Visit the takenote.ca HOME page for a colourful display of hundreds of other blogs which may interest or inspire you
inspiring
LikeLike