The Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC) marked the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on Tuesday with the “When Time Heals” event
The event took up most of the day at the PAGC Cultural Centre. The goal was to honour the lives, voices and future of Indigenous Children.
George Mirasty of the PAGC Health and Social is one of the organizers of the event and a Residential School survivor. There were over 200 people in attendance for the opening, which impressed Mirasty immensely.
“I’m so proud to see so many people have an interest in the orange t-shirts (and be) with all the people that went to Residential school and to listen to the stories here at the Truth and Reconciliation event,” Mirasty said.
Speakers shared their own stories about Residential Schools from their own experience as relatives of survivors.
“Everyone has a story and everyone has a similar experience or has a link to residential school, be it grandparents or parents or the children of Residential School survivors,” Mirasty said. “They all have a link to this. Canada has a link to know the truth now.”
The morning opened with a prayer by Elder Shirley Sanderson and an Honour Song by the Young Eagle Cree drum group.
Other speakers during the morning included Vice Chief Joseph Tsannie, PAGE Women’s Commission president Anita Parenteau, Dr. Lalita Malhotra, Shirley Woods of PAGC Health, Prince Albert Mayor Bill Powalinsky, Prince Albert Police Chief Patrick Nogier, Ed Mirasty and Vince Brittain and Woods on behalf of Prince Albert Northcote MLA Alana Ross.
After acknowledging the apology by Premier Scott Moe for the Ile La Crosse Residential School, Hardlotte called on Moe to recognize the Timber Bay Residential School.
Mirasty said the amount of people in attendance shows that the message of what was originally Orange Shirt Day is now resonating more.
“I think it is because when we first started the orange T-shirt there was some interest, but not as much interest as there is today now within the last few years with that Truth and Reconciliation.”
Orange Shirt Day began in 2013. The initiative asks for every Canadian to wear an orange shirt on Sept. 30 in the spirit of healing and reconciliation in honouring and validating the healing and reconciliation of former students and their families.
Mirasty himself is a Residential School survivor. His daughter was among the speakers for the afternoon portion.
“I went on my healing journey a long time ago, and my daughter’s going to share that this afternoon of how she survived being a survivor from me,” Mirasty said.
He said that she has been healing from the generational trauma.
“She’s going to be sharing that and how she healed from her own life because of me, because of my things that happened to me, and this was before I started my healing journey.”
Mirasty said that that path began in the 1980s.
“I started my healing journey through some of the programs, like going to university, talked a little bit about it and doing social work and then switching to addictions worker to help those that are still stuck in their trauma,” Mirasty said.
He added that he now uses his experience to help others on their healing journey.
“I help others to continue their healing journey because the truth has to come out,” he said. “Their truth has to come out, because in order for their truth to come out, and then that’s the process, the beginning of healing.”
Mirasty said the messages about Truth and Reconciliation from Powalinsky and Nogier were positive.
Sanderson said the opening prayer and then told a story of children being sent to Alberta as labourers.
“That was truth that was being shared,” Mirasty said. “What happened on the reserve with the elders, like no children on reserve and the parents losing their children because of government policies because if they didn’t, then they would be jailed.”
The afternoon included presentations by Mirasty’s daughter Wendy Mirasty, a PHD student at USask. Her Doctoral research is focused on the impacts of Intergenerational Trauma from the Indian Residential School system. She is an intergenerational survivor and is committed to helping people live a good life.
The second speaker was Kaileigh Aramenko who used poetry and spoke about her own experiences in generational trauma.
The afternoon also included a demonstration of various types of Pow Wow dancing. Before that demonstration began a member of the Young Eagle Cree drum group spoke about the group’s history in brief.
“A demonstration like that a grass dance and those are all healing dances healing tourism for themselves and for the people that’s what the dance is for,” Mirasty said.
The afternoon concluded with a Round Dance.
Overall Mirasty was impressed by the crowd that turned out for the opening. The crowd included members of the Prince Albert Police Service.
“I’m just surprised at the turnout,” he said. “We have over 200, and that’s a lot. I’m just so happy that so many people came out there for this event.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
