Members of Alderville First Nation walked in honour of the remains of 215 children found at the grounds at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.
The remains were confirmed last week and members of Alderville First Nation started their walk at the Alderville First Nation Health and Social Services at noon going north on County Road 45 to the Alderville War Memorial on Monday, May 31, 2021.
Leading the walk were members of the Northumberland OPP, Alnwick/Haldimand Township Fire Department and Northumberland County Paramedics.
The walk was the idea of Alderville First Nation resident Greg Smoke who said, “it all fell together. I saw the post online about the 215 kids. So I decided let’s have a community walk.”
Smoke came up with the idea for the walk on Sunday. The community came together very quickly to support the idea.
“When I heard about the 215 kids I was mad. Because they hid it from us. We are very strong in our culture and that hit me and my family hard.”
Smoke said there are many answers. But the people of Canada need to know.
“They just closed the last residential school in 1996 and in our day and age that’s wrong.”
Speaking to members of the community at the Alderville War Memorial, Chief Dave Mowat said, the entire world is covering the story of the 215 children.
“Canada’s dirty little secret is no longer a secret.”
Stephen Pashagumskum from Chisasibi, James Bay, Quebec, was also in attendance and Today’s Northumberland spoke to him in-depth in a video interview.
Pashagumskum explains that he was forcibly taken from his family along with his older brother and attended three residential schools. His number in the school system was 47.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
