The Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM) will commemorate residential school survivors and their families by hosting events in honour of Orange Shirt Day.
“Thank you to the RSM for once again educating people and promoting awareness about the impacts of the residential school system,” Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Gene Makowsky said. “Sharing stories from survivors and Indigenous storytellers is an important step in the reconciliation process.”
The Orange Shirt movement was inspired by Phyllis Webstad. In the fall of 1973, she was a six-year-old Indigenous girl living in BC, who was stripped of her new orange shirt on her first day of residential school. Forty years later, Orange Shirt Day was declared nationally on September 30, 2013, as a symbol to honour survivors and their families and to serve as a reminder that every child matters.
On September 29, at 1 p.m., the RSM and the Saskatchewan Filmpool Co-operative will feature a short film, Keep Going My Daughter, about a young couple reflecting on the dreams that a new generation of Indigenous parents have for their children. Following the presentation, the filmmakers will discuss the film’s message.
On September 30, pre-registered school classes will attend presentations in partnership with the Traditional Knowledge Keepers Program supported by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. The morning session will feature a short film, Little Moccassins and Life Speaker Tim Poitras, who will share his story as a residential school survivor. The afternoon session will feature artist and storyteller Brad Bellegarde, also known as InfoRed, and his song, I Remember, which tells the story of the residential school experience.
For more details on these events, and more at the RSM, visit https://royalsaskmuseum.ca/rsm/visit/event-calendar.
To learn more about Phyllis Webstad’s story, visit http://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html. Visit. Donate. Discover.
