A trucker convoy heading to Kamloops to honour the 215 children whose remains were found at the Kamloops Indian Residential School received honours of its own Saturday as it passed through 100 Mile House.

More than two dozen members of the Tsq91裸聊视频檈scenemc people (Canim Lake Band), along with members of the 100 Mile House community, cheered the convoy of trucks as they passed by Saturday morning. A dozen drummers stood on the side of Highway 97 outside the South Cariboo Visitor Centre, playing traditional songs that mingled with the horns of honking semis.

The event was organized by Joseph Archie, Canim Lake91裸聊视频檚 cultural enrichment worker, who said he was blown away by the response to his Facebook post. Archie said the gathering was to show solidarity and support for what the truckers were doing. He was proud to see that the District of 100 Mile House91裸聊视频檚 Mayor Mitch Campsall and Coun. Chris Pettman, along with the Cariboo Regional District91裸聊视频檚 Al Richmond and Margo Wagner, had come to join them.

91裸聊视频淚t brings warmth and helps to heal. It shows someone is doing something which is really good to see,91裸聊视频� Archie said. 91裸聊视频淪eeing the support from different groups of people is pretty amazing.91裸聊视频�

This was especially important for residential school survivors like Elizabeth Pete.

Pete attended St. Joseph91裸聊视频檚 Mission in Williams Lake for several years, starting in the fall of 1954. Before she went, her mother cut her hair short for the first time in her life. Without her long braid, she looked so different that friends from Canim Lake didn91裸聊视频檛 recognize her at the school.

91裸聊视频淚n my childhood mind, I think I adapted to the place. My adult mind learned to look back and judge,91裸聊视频� Pete said. 91裸聊视频淚 didn91裸聊视频檛 call that place a prison when I was a child but my adult mind learned to.91裸聊视频�

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While Pete considers herself one of the luckier survivors, she still remembers the impact the mission had on her life. She wasn91裸聊视频檛 a victim of sexual abuse, but silence and obedience were expected and enforced by corporal punishment, Pete said. She described how once a nun struck her arms with a yardstick and left a bruise from her elbow to her wrists.

91裸聊视频淚 remember all of us. We were supposed to be learning, but there was always this tension - this fear. We weren91裸聊视频檛 relaxed in the classroom. If we didn91裸聊视频檛 know the answer, then you91裸聊视频檇 get the ruler across the desk.91裸聊视频�

Archie is hopeful the newfound support from the Canadian public will continue in the future, and encouraged the local politicians to pass the message on to higher levels of government.

91裸聊视频淥ur Prime Minister Trudeau is quick to put the blame on the church but the government could have stopped funding and quit the residential schools but they didn91裸聊视频檛,91裸聊视频� Archie said. 91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 got to be some accountability there for sure.91裸聊视频�

Pete questions how much money the government spent operating the schools over the years and wonders if the government officials who funded them cared or simply turned their backs on children unable to defend themselves. To those in government today who are unwilling to confront this history, she says 91裸聊视频渟hame on them.91裸聊视频�

Chief Helen Henderson was also in attendance and said this experience was as heartfelt as it was heart-wrenching. Henderson said the drumming made her heart happy and that she cried when she heard about the convoy.

91裸聊视频淭he tears flow freely now, and when I see non-Indigenous humans reach out and show their support to all Secwepemc in such a public way, (it) means a lot to us as Secwempec people.91裸聊视频�

Henderson said it91裸聊视频檚 important that everyone remembers that 215 children were denied their 91裸聊视频渃ross over songs.91裸聊视频� These songs are sung loud to awaken their ancestors to accept the spirits of the children and Henderson said they91裸聊视频檒l continue to sing them until those children are brought home.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e still here. We91裸聊视频檙e still strong,91裸聊视频� Pete said. 91裸聊视频淲hen I was hearing about the 215 children in Kamloops I was thinking they had parents. That91裸聊视频檚 200-plus mothers, 200-plus fathers. They had paternal grandparents, maternal grandparents. Our communities have extended, tight-knit, families.91裸聊视频�

Henderson maintains all the stories about residential school, both known and unknown, need to be heard and acknowledged, for the sake of the new generations.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 know what reconciliation looks like but events like this are a small step towards reconciliation and recognizing this is our history,91裸聊视频� Henderson said. 91裸聊视频淭he more we connect to non-Indigenous folks and teach the history of our culture, our territory and our experiences, I think that it puts us that much closer truly to reconciliation.91裸聊视频�

patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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