The Circle of Indigenous Nations Society (COINS) is inviting the public to join them in marking National Truth and Reconciliation Day and Orange Shirt Day.
The event will be held on Sept. 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1801 Connors Road in Castlegar.
COINS says the purpose of the event is to offer acknowledgement and make prayer ties for the children of the residential schools — survivors, and the children that didn’t get to come home.
Aboriginal perspective vendors will also be on site.
COINS will be selling orange shirts at the event, but will not be pre-selling shirts this year.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation was created by the federal government in 2021 in response to the calls for action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.
Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community inter-generational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters,” according to canada.ca, the government’s official website.
The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
Canadians everywhere are encouraged to wear orange on Sept. 30.
READ MORE: Census 2021: Castlegar’s Indigenous population growing
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