Hundreds of supporter gathered at the Healing Totem pole at the Wharf on Front street, and sang traditional songs in unison as they marched along 2nd Avenue towards the Sacred Fire Pit at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Center.
WHITEHORSE, YT – The thundering heartbeat of drums filled the air in downtown Whitehorse, as a march to mark the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation got underway. Hundreds of supporter gathered at the Healing Totem pole at the Wharf on Front street and sang traditional songs in unison as they marched along 2nd Avenue towards the Sacred Fire Pit at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Center.
The March was dedicated in honor of those lost to Canada’s Residential School system, and was led by Residential School Survivors, joined by The Warrior Walkers, who had begun their march on September 24th in Dawson City, on Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Traditional Territory.
As the marcher and supporters gathered around sacred fire, prayers were offered, and speeches were given by elders and survivors. A moment of silence was observed as the sacred fire was lit.
Those in attendance were given the opportunity to make personal offerings of tobacco and sweet grass, following an update by Elder Judy Gingell of the Yukon Residential Schools Missing Children Project, about their recent discovery of 15 likely gravesites on the grounds of the former Choutla Residental School in Carcross.
