Filling the pipe with prayers, and filling hearts with understanding.
To mark the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the Town of Okotoks is hosting a Pipe Ceremony and gathering at the Viking Rentals Centre Events Hall. The ceremony, led by Blackfoot Elders, ceremonialists, and residential school survivors Reg and Rose Crowshoe from the Piikani First Nation, will take place tomorrow from 10 a.m. to noon.
Town of Okotoks Indigenous Relations Advisor Desmond Jackson encourages community members to attend and experience the ceremony, which will include the filling of a pipe and prayers for those affected by the Indian residential school system. Following the ceremony, berry soup and bannock will be served.
Attendees are also encouraged to wear orange and visit the memorial site in Ethel Tucker Park, dedicated to residential school victims and survivors, as well as missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Community members are welcome to bring meaningful offerings to place at the site to pay respect and reflect.
Jackson also encourages community members to spend the day reflecting through education, taking a moment to learn about the history of the Indian residential school system in Canada.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, is observed annually on Sept. 30. The day was established in 2013 to honour residential school survivors and serve as a powerful reminder of the lasting impacts of the residential school system.
The orange shirt symbolizes the loss of culture, freedom, and self-esteem, reminding everyone that “Every Child Matters.”
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