From Reconciliation to Reconcili-ACTION: embracing the challenge

Tsatassaya White

Gabriola Arts Council

At the Gabriola Arts Council, we’ve been hard at work preparing for the fall programming of “Breaking Bannock,” which is dedicated to uniting our community through cultural and educational events. In Canada since 2012 each September 30th we observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as “Orange Shirt Day”. It is a time to acknowledge the history of residential schools in Canada and honor the survivors, their families, and the communities still grappling with the impacts of intergenerational trauma. It is also a time to move from reconciliation to reconcile-ACTION by taking active responsibility to do more and do better.

Please join us on Thursday September 26th in attending “Embracing the Challenge of Reconciliation: an Evening with Doug White III Kwulasultun,” a member of the Snuneymuxw First Nation, lawyer (KC) and Special Counsel on Reconciliation to Premier David Eby.

Doug White III, Kwulasultun.
Snuneymuxw First Nation, lawyer (KC)
Submitted photo

Doug White has a long history of leadership and advocacy. He has served as Chief and Councillor of the Snuneymuxw First Nation in Nanaimo, B.C., and has been a practicing lawyer since 2008. He has acted as a negotiator for First Nations across Canada and has held various influential roles, including Chair of the BC First Nations Justice Council and Co-Chair of BC’s Provincial Advisory Committee for Indigenous and Specialized Courts. Notably, in November 2022, he was appointed Special Counsel on Indigenous Reconciliation by Premier David Eby.

Thursday, September 26th doors open at 5:30pm. Arrive early and break bannock together!

“Embrace the Challenge of Reconciliation with Doug White III Kwulasultun” will be at the Gabriola Fellowship Church 775 Church, Gabriola Island

We will also have a vendor available with Orange Shirts for sale.

As we look ahead, mark your calendars for “1491 – Re-imagining Thanksgiving,” scheduled for Saturday, October 5th. Join us in exploring a new narrative around this day.

The Gabriola Arts Council Presents Messages on Doors: Abridged, Produced by The Fox Queen (www.thefoxqueen.ca) as part of 1491: Reimagining Thanksgiving.   Messages on Doors (MOD) is a FREE community workshop, feast and Indigenous Reconciliation project taking place for the first time on Gabriola.  This version of MOD will include a free community meal, and artistic sparks by Core Artists: The Fox Queen, Talela Manson and special guest local Gabriola Artist.

The public workshop is a free online event for Gabriola residents taking place on Sunday Sept 22 @ 3:00pm  that examines the Big Ideas of Messages On Doors. Up to 20 local Community Members will receive a “lhu’ween xthum” (gift box in hul’q’umi’num’) to open in circle with Core Artists followed by sharing, discussion and connection. 

Interested community members can register for the workshop by emailing reachthefoxqueen@gmail.com or texting/ calling 604-649-1559. Registered community members may pick up their gift box at the Gabriola Arts Council Office, Sept 20-22, 2024.

  Furthermore in October, the GAC Board of Directors and staff are also taking meaningful steps toward reconcili-ACTION by participating in a decolonization workshop led by Ecko Aleck. Also known by her stage name SacRED, Ecko is an award-winning Nlaka’pamux artist, founder, and CEO. Raised within the shishalh Nation and now residing on the lands of the Pentlatch (Qualicum) Nation on Vancouver Island, Ecko brings a unique blend of storytelling, digital arts, and healing practices to her work, helping both people and the planet reconnect with natural rhythms of well-being.

These are a few offerings in September and October to enrich your knowledge and experience with reconciliation. If you are not available to participate but still wondering how you can engage meaningfully with this important chapter of Canadian history? You might start by learning about local Indigenous history or immersing yourself in Indigenous perspectives through books or shows like “Reservation Dogs” or “Coyote’s Crazy Smart Science Show’.

Observed every year on September 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation honors the children who never returned from residential schools, as well as the survivors, their families, and their communities. Public acknowledgment of this painful history—and its enduring effects—is a vital step in the reconciliation process. We hope to break bannock with you soon!