St. Thomas University held a ceremony on Sept. 26, to recognize the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation which is on Sept. 30.
The ceremony began with the lighting of the sacred fire by the Firekeeper Merl Millier, which calls for a moment of reflection, gratitude and a sense of connection with ancestors.
“I felt a sense of peace and I felt almost clean in a way,” said Emmanuelle Jackson, an Indigenous student who attended the event. “I felt as though all of the stress that I had been going through in the past couple days, it felt washed away.”
National Truth and Reconciliation Day was established to honour and raise awareness for Indigenous children that experienced Residential Schools and the intergenerational impacts these schools have on Indigenous communities.
While STU has had ceremonies in honour of the day in years past, this year was notable because of the firepit that was recently installed in STU’s lower campus.
“I am proud of STU for putting [the firepit] in,” said Jackson. “Especially since this campus is on unsurrendered land … having something where Indigenous students can feel safe and comfortable and participate in ceremonies is really important.”
Jackson said they felt grateful to have the opportunity to connect with their culture on campus in an accepting environment. Their entire social work class attended the sacred fire before the ceremony.
“My classmates, a lot of whom are white and settlers on this land who don’t necessarily understand what is happening, but they’re willing to listen and participate and be part of it,” they said.
According to Indigenous Student Representative of the Student Union Tanner Augustine, the installation of the firepit had been long overdue as it was supposed to be set up last summer.
“[The firepit] was one of the things that we were really pushing forward to get on campus,” said Augustine.
The lighting of the sacred fire was followed by an indoor ceremony at the Dawn Russell Student Lounge, including speeches from both Sonja Perley, director of Indigenous initiatives, and new Elder-in-Residence, Ron Tremblay. He shared powerful stories highlighting Indigenous culture, the significance of the three fires in life — gratitude, our loved ones and the fire in our hearts.
STU’s Chancellor Graydon Nicholas also elaborated on the struggles that Indigenous communities have faced in getting access to higher education and the rich history that STU has in providing Indigenous people access to higher education.
In his speech, Nicholas noted the turn out at this years ceremony was the largest he has seen in recent years.
“I felt a general satisfaction and relief that many people [International Students, locals] showed up,” said Augustine.
The ceremony also included a drum performance by a group of young drummers from Wulastukw Wolokehkitimok, an elementary school in Kingsclear First Nation, highlighting the theme of friendship to aid in the reconciliation process.
“That was really nice to see, especially young kids, doing drumming and singing the language, especially hearing that is really important,” said Jackson.
The offering of tobacco to the sacred fire, an essential part of the sacred fire ceremony and fosters connection between the heart and the mind, brought the ceremony to a close.
With files from Shannon Munro.
