News and Information – Electric City Culture Council Electric City Culture Council

This day of remembrance, respect, and reflection, honours the children who never returned home from and the Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.

Public commemoration of this tragic and painful history and the ongoing impacts of the residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process. September 30th also reminds us to recall and reflect on the 2008 Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report and its 94 Calls to Action, while continuing to call and work for all of its recommendations to be implemented.

Curve Lake artist and Peterborough’s 2023 Poet Laureate Sarah Lewis has offered us this poem:

Welcome Home
Welcome Home

What does it mean to be rebirthed from an Earth you’ve felt foreign to?
Kokum, I think I’ve learned what it means to come home
Homesick for a place I’ve never known
Was taught to learn their maps
Not knowing my divine wrinkles and lines were the roads back to my homeland
The ones my ancestors paved the way for
They call it geography, I call it my body, we are not separate, you take the land, you take my livelihood, you take my life away

But we’re getting our culture back, Kokum

As if she was ever really lost, I thought
She was always sitting around fire, fire keeping my belly in school as
I exhaled through Lord’s Prayer a guttural warrior cry
Fighting to be heard over Hail Marys, fighting for me to remember
Kasakitin
Am I saying the language right, Kokum? There’s only one way to do it wrong, and it’s to not do it at all, she says

Kokum reminds me that the spirit of my culture was always with me
Was with me when I cried, tried to stop tears from falling from my eyes, she told me that they were medicine
Was with me when they told us our ceremony was witchcraft or that my skin was too dark, not knowing my darkness was in fact a reflection of theirs, and yes sir, there’s magic in my blood, for my next act I will cast you away and take the land back
She was with me throughout my alcohol and drug addiction, my spirit was called to dance
Ruffled feathers turned to headdress, and by the grace of Creator, my limbs danced and jumped to drum instead of my own demise

So we dance for those who no longer can, for Summer, Cileanna Theresa Leah, we dance

For all children who never became Kokums, guiding us back to truth
Back to reconciliation

We’re getting our culture back, Kokum, and she responds
My dear one, she never left

Your language is embedded in your tastebuds as deep as a mother’s love
Why do you think she is called your mother tongue?

Kokum says:
you have been here before
Your blood is as ancient as the rivers and mountains themselves, and you wouldn’t doubt your elders, would you?

You can’t abolish or erase something that was written by the cosmos
Cree syllabics written with stardust on pictograph, a galaxy handcrafted our women with sweetgrass and sunflowers
Added some zest, made her a little bitter, made her spirit a little louder so she could stand up for her sisters, for her people

We’re getting our culture back, Kokum, and she responds
she never left, she lives in reflection on river, she is sister, mother, will be a Kokum one day herself
most importantly
she is you
most importantly
she is home

My Kokum tells me: welcome home, sisters

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EC3 has collected some valuable resources and event listings for
Truth and Reconciliation Day listed below:
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Mnoominkewin Gathering
September 28, 2024, 7am Sunrise Ceremony
Curve Lake First Nation Lime Kiln Park / Pow Wow Grounds
https://www.mnoominkewin.com/

CBC is marking the fourth National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (also known as Orange Shirt Day) on Monday, September 30 with an extensive lineup of Indigenous-led original programming showcasing First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives and experiences across CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC News streaming channels, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBC Music and CBC Listen.
https://www.cbc.ca/television/honour-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-with-cbc-1.7331441
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The Government of Canada has resources around Truth and Reconcilliation
https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/national-day-truth-reconciliation.html
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Free, online educational program is brought to you by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. Programming is available in English, French, and ASL.

Home

And, read the reports:
https://nctr.ca/records/reports/
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Peterborough Museum and Archives is offering Every Child Matters reading centre and children’s activity throughout the month of September. The museum is also providing Every Child Matters stickers, buttons and bookmarks to encourage participation and learning through its National Day for Truth and Reconciliation activities.
To find information on the Peterborough Museum and Archives, please visit:
https://www.peterborough.ca/en/explore-and-play/museum-and-archives.aspx
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Art Gallery of Peterborough exhibition Watershed is on display until October 6, featuring work by Mary Anne Barkhouse, John Boyle, Brad Copping, Liz Magor, Stan Olthuis, Amanda Strong, and Olivia Whetung.
https://agp.on.ca/exhibitions/watershed/
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Trent University has a number of events leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
https://www.trentu.ca/truthandreconciliationday
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Fleming College is honoring the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with a series of events focused on listening, learning, and raising awareness.
https://flemingcollege.ca/news/fleming-college-honours-national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation/
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The National Film Board has a playlist of films available for free screenings online:
https://www.nfb.ca/playlist/orange-shiart-day-edu/
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Read the United Nations Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 13 September 2007 United Nations Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples.
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Assembly of First Nations advocates for First Nations in Canada, facilitating regional discussions and dialogue, advocacy efforts and campaigns, legal and policy analysis, and building relationships between First Nations, governments, businesses and the general public.
Read more here: https://afn.ca/

Learn more about the imagery used for National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The eagle to represent First Nations
The narwhal to represent Inuit
The beaded flower to represent Métis
Among the various visual elements illustrating Indigenous cultures, the circle is at the centre, which represents being together in spirit of reconciliation. The orange colour represents truth-telling and healing. The pathway represents the road to reconciliation. First Nations, Inuit and Métis are represented by the eagle, narwhal and beaded flower in the image. The stars represent the children who never made it home from residential schools.

Posted in Bulletin

Bulletin: EC3 Launches “Poets of Nogojiwanong”

September 3rd, 2024

2024 Peterborough Poet Laureate Legacy Project, Curated by Ziysah von Bieberstein

Read the full Bulletin here.

Posted in Bulletin