Thunder Bay marks Indigenous Survivors Day with Sixties Scoop exhibit

By Rick Garrick

THUNDER BAY — The Legacy of Hope Foundation’s Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth Telling from the Sixties Scoop exhibit was featured at Thunder Bay’s Indigenous Survivors Day gathering, held June 30 at the Baggage Building Arts Centre. Indigenous Survivors Day was created by Troy Abromaitis, a Sixties Scoop Survivor and Nlaka’pamux Nation citizen from Lytton First Nation in British Columbia, to recognize the cultural contributions of Indigenous Survivors of Indian Residential Schools, the Sixties Scoop, and other colonial policies.

“Indigenous Survivors Day provides an opportunity for both healing and celebration,” says Annika Gregg, Engagement and Partnerships Lead at the City of Thunder Bay. “While we reflect on the historic and ongoing impacts of colonization, we also come together as community to celebrate the gifts, talents, and strengths of First Nation, Métis, and Inuit peoples. This day offers a chance to learn, gather, and reflect in the spirit of reconciliation.”

Fort William First Nation Councillor Desiree Morriseau-Shields, a member of the Sisters of Turtle Island drum group that shared four songs during the gathering, says she wanted to acknowledge the presence of St. Joseph’s Indian Residential School in Fort William First Nation’s traditional territory.

“And acknowledge the Survivors that are here in this traditional territory of that school and send my prayers and love out to each of those people from Fort William First Nation,” Morriseau-Shields says. “Your Intergenerational Survivors are here as well; we’re picking up what we lost along the way and we’re getting stronger and stronger and wiser and we’re going to continue on in this work as a community together.”

Kieran McMonagle, Manager of Indigenous Relations at the City of Thunder Bay, says the Bi-Giwen: Coming Home – Truth Telling from the Sixties Scoop exhibit, which features first-person oral testimonies from 12 Sixties Scoop Survivors, opened on June 24.

“On June 25, we had an open house, and we saw over 40 people come throughout the day,” McMonagle says. “We really wanted to provide opportunity for the public to participate and view the exhibit prior to Indigenous Survivors Day. It’s really important for us to ensure that this history is not lost or forgotten. Being able to have people walk through and experience the stories of these 12 Survivors provides us opportunity to bring education to the broader community, but also provides that opportunity for reflection.”

McMonagle says they also featured the strengths of Indigenous people at the gathering, which included artists, singers, drummers, artisans, crafters, and service providers.

“We’re just grateful to have the leadership of Survivors and our Indigenous Advisory Council as we can bring community together, and just grateful to have the opportunity to reflect but then to continue to support the day,” McMonagle says.

Lydia Johnson, a Lac La Ronge Indian Band citizen who lives in Thunder Bay, appreciated the opportunity to participate as a hand drummer with the Sisters of Turtle Island drum group at the gathering.

“I’m the daughter of a Sixties Scoop Survivor and it’s been really lovely to be able to reconnect and be part of the Sisters of Turtle Island drum group,” Johnson says. “I think this event is really important for the community.”

Justin O’Keese, a member of the Charging Thunder Singerz youth drum group and a Namaygoosisagagun First Nation citizen, also appreciated the opportunity to participate as a hand drummer with the Algonquin Avenue Public School Indigenous students group at the gathering.

“We’re going to be doing the closing song for our part of the Algonquin School [presentation],” O’Keese says. “I attended Algonquin since JK, and I went back to school in my community for about a year, then I came back to Algonquin and that’s when I started drumming. I was probably in Grade 6.”

O’Keese says the Charging Thunder Singerz have been singing for about two years and have travelled as far west as British Columbia and to a number of First Nations in Ontario.

“We’ve also been to Toronto this year so far and [we’re] still travelling,” O’Keese says.