Friday (Sept. 30) marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which aims to provide Canadians the opportunity to recognize and observe the tragic history and ongoing legacy of residential schools.
In Surrey and surrounding cities, there are many ways to recognize this special day, also known as Orange Shirt Day, ranging from quiet reflection to participation in a community event:
• On Friday from 2 to 4 p.m., join Skookum Surrey at Holland Park for an afternoon of drumming, sharing, tea and bannock. Wear an orange shirt to this event, at 13428 Old Yale Rd. Formerly known as Skookum Lab, Skookum Surrey carries on the spirit of Skookum “by centring Indigenous brilliance to create a flourishing and connected Urban Indigenous Community in Surrey,” says a post on surreyindigenousleadership.ca.
• Learn more about the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee, a coalition of organizations that have come together to advocate for the more than 16,000 Indigenous people living in Surrey.
• On Thursday evening (Sept. 29), let Indigenous music group Chubby Cree inspire you with drumming, dance and song during their Centre Stage performance at Surrey City Hall. Featuring hand-drumming grandmother Carol Powder and her grandson Noah Green, the duo has played around Edmonton at both traditional powwows and community events in recent years. For the Surrey Civic Theatres-presented concert, tickets are $24 on tickets.surrey.ca, or call 604-501-5566.
• Take a virtual tour of the Museum of Surrey exhibit “Our Living Languages.” Note that the museum will be closed on Sept. 30. Find the virtual tour, along with more information about the exhibit, on surrey.ca/museum.
• Tour Surrey’s Indigenous public art collection, details of which are found on surrey.ca/artgallery. Examples include Rain Pierre’s “Guardian Spirits,” which symbolize reconciliation on windows at North Surrey Sport & Ice Complex, and “Talking Poles,” described as a “community dialogue project” at Serpentine Greenway that brought together residents, students, instructors, spiritual leaders and artists.
• Watch the playoff-bound BC Lions host Ottawa Redblacks in a special Orange Shirt Day game Friday at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. New for this year, the Lions’ helmet for this game will sport a special Indigenous-themed logo designed by Kwakwaka’wakw/Tlingit artist Corrine Hunt.
• Walk through Surrey Civic Plaza outside City Hall where the lights will be orange.
• Discover Indigenous-made films in the National Film Board’s online collection, on nfb.ca.
• MORE EVENTS: Flag-raising, walk among South Surrey/White Rock events planned for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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