Spirit Walk brings Comox Valley community together through reconciliation
The crowd gathered at Simms Park for the afternoon. (Jeannie Lin / CHLY 101.7FM)
Posters were on display for the whole day. (Jeannie Lin / CHLY 101.7 FM)
Every September 30th is a reminder of the history of the residential school system, its survivors as well as the children who never came home. The Comox Valley Spirit Walk brought community members together in downtown Courtenay to honour those impacted, for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The walk began at Lewis Park, before crossing the Fifth Street Bridge to continue through downtown Courtenay and end at Simms Park.
Chrys Sample, vice-president of the Comox Valley Métis Association, spoke about the importance of community participation for the day.
“We're in this together. It's both of us, education on both sides for everyone to learn about what went on and for us to be able to help people understand what went on, and to try to find a way that we can be together and live. Having everyone together is where we're starting reconciliation or continuing with our path of reconciliation,” said Sample.
The storyboard walk tells the story of Phyllis Wagstad. (Jeannie Lin / CHLY 101.7FM)
Sample said the day includes a storyboard walk on display at Simms Park, made in collaboration with the Comox Valley Lifelong Learning Centre. The pages of the storyboard tells the story of residential school survivor Phyllis Wagstad, who inspired orange shirt day.
“We have some storyboards that talk about residential schools. We have Phyllis Wagstad's storyboards that tells about the orange shirt story from when she was a little girl and went to residential schools. We've got lots of information and education. We're going to honour residential school survivors and children that never came home, and what went on at that time,” said Sample.
According to the Orange Shirt Society, as a child, Wagstad was sent to the St. Joseph Mission residential school in Williams Lake. Her orange shirt was taken away from her when she arrived. After sharing her story in 2013, she inspired the message: “Every Child Matters.”
Posters on display served as learning opportunities for participants. Local organizations such as the Comox Valley Community Development Association and Comox Valley Foundry were also in attendance.
Orange hearts lined the parks as well as the walk route. (Jeannie Lin / CHLY 101.7FM)
Spirit walk participants saw orange hearts placed along the route as a symbol of remembrance.
“A lot of different allies of ours made orange hearts, and then we put a little bamboo skewer that you use to cook kebabs? We tape them on the back and then we put them in the ground and it just is a heartfelt way to remember that this is what happened, we feel it in our heart,” said Sample.
According to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation 18 residential schools in B.C. are recognized under the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. The 2006 legal settlement provided compensation and healing support to survivors, while also establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to document the history and legacy of residential schools.
Sample said she feels hopeful about the community's continuing involvement in reconciliation.
“We have to come together and remember that we can only be together when there's peace and there's no hate or discrimination or things like that, that we have to work at this together. That's what we're hopeful for, working together. And you know what? In this community, we've been working on the Spirit Walk, so many people have helped us. They've come forward to help us, they're willing to work, to volunteer, to offer things. I feel hopeful,” said Sample.
Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.
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