The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation aims to honour residential school survivors.
At this year’s Werklund Centre event, Indigenous Elders and community members also highlight the culture and knowledge that continue to thrive despite that history.
For the Elders Knowledge Circle Society, that work includes preserving traditional knowledge and making sure younger generations have opportunities to connect with it.
The organization brings together Elders from different Nations, including Blackfoot, Îethka Stoney Nakoda, Dene, Cree, Métis, and Inuit, and supports the passing of knowledge between Elders, communities and youth.
“It’s about the young people, but we can only support the young people if the Elders are supported,” said Jessica Smith, lead helper for the Elders Knowledge Circle Society, in an interview with the Calgary Journal.
Smith said much of the public conversation around Indigenous communities, particularly on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, understandably focuses on the continuing impacts of residential schools. But she said that history is only one part of Indigenous peoples’ story.
“What’s missing is how did we become resilient, if you will?” Smith said. “Also showing that there’s more to Indigenous people than the horrendous history that has occurred. And sometimes people only see one piece of who Indigenous people are.”
Strengthening cultural connection
At the Werklund Centre’s Indigenous Makers Market, artists share work rooted in culture while connecting with Indigenous and non-Indigenous visitors.
“It’s been so great to see so many allies and even, you know, survivors come out and be together in community,” said Shawna LeBlanc, owner of Littered Leaves, where she sells jewelry and other homemade goods.
LeBlanc also teaches beading classes, which have become a way to help younger Indigenous people connect with their culture and create something of their own.
“To see the youth being proud of it and being able to create something that they can share is the best thing ever. And they’ve all been so grateful, which I’m grateful for.”
This was LeBlanc’s first market for Truth and Reconciliation Day, explaining that her lack of access to cultural knowledge growing up made participating in these spaces hard.
“My mom’s a 60s scooper, so I think at first I felt very… like, I didn’t belong,” said LeBlanc. “But, you know, learning the history and learning my background – I lost all of that culture. And to be able to share it with people that are so interested in learning and want to support it is so awesome.”
Sharing her beadwork on a day marked by loss is another way to remember those affected while continuing to strengthen cultural connection.
“It’s nice to be able to honour them in a way, you know? And be in community and learn your culture in honour of them, right?”
Making ethical space
That idea of recognizing the past while creating space for Indigenous knowledge in the present also shapes Werklund Centre’s approach to reconciliation. One of their guiding ideas is creating “ethical space.”
“It’s to create space for two different systems to exist, two different cultures, two different ways of knowing, ways of being, ways of speaking, whatever it is, to exist in parallel,” said Tasha Komery, the Centre’s vice-president of special projects. “So, it promotes understanding.”
Komery says this approach also means recognizing reconciliation as an ongoing process rather than a finished policy or annual event.
“We’re constantly reconsidering,” she said. “It’s that old saying of, ‘Nothing about them without them.’ So we don’t do anything that has to do with that realm without seeking guidance.”
Preserving traditional knowledge
The Elders Story Project itself has also changed over time. Earlier events focused heavily on Elders sharing experiences of residential schools, while more recent gatherings have included sharing ceremonies and cultural practices chosen by the Elders themselves.
Elders have also been increasingly encouraging the participation of non-Indigenous people. But Smith emphasized that sharing culture also comes with boundaries.
“Not everything is meant to be shared,” Smith said. “The Elders all have come from a ton of different events all day long, sharing their stories, sharing their traumas, in an effort to educate.”
Preserving Elders’ knowledge for future generations is a major part of the society’s work.
The Elders Knowledge Circle Society’s upcoming book, Resilience Knowledge: Wisdom from the Elders Circle, will include Elders’ narratives alongside audio recordings in traditional languages and English translations.
Some of the Elders involved in creating the book have since passed, making preserving their voices particularly significant.
“To be able to turn those pages and listen to people that have impacted me in my life and really have helped me to be who I am today,” Smith said. “I know that that’s going to be a similar feeling for a lot of people, because these Elders have touched a lot of people’s lives.”
For Indigenous peoples, Elders and other organizations aim to extend these conversations and teachings beyond just one day.
“I also hope that they leave with a desire to work alongside Indigenous people, regardless if it’s September 30, or a rainy, spring day, really and truly,” said Smith.
