Orange Shirt Day

The 30^th of September marked ‘Orange Shirt Day’ at Shawnigan, a day when Canadians are encouraged to wear orange to acknowledge the residential school experience of Indigenous peoples, to “witness and honour the healing journey of the survivors and their families, and to commit to the ongoing process of reconciliation.”

Shawnigan students and staff were invited to wear orange garments, and to remember the motto of Orange Shirt Day: “Every Child Matters.” As photos of the day will demonstrate, the vast majority of staff and students took to the orange T-shirt theme with gusto!

 

Residential schools operated in Canada beginning in the 1880s, with the final one closing in 1996: five schools were on Vancouver Island. Orange Shirt Day is named in honour of a six-year-old girl who had her bright, new orange shirt taken away from her upon arrival at a residential school. The day is officially recognized by several provincial governments and is a legacy of the 2013 St. Joseph's Mission Residential School Commemoration Project in Williams Lake, B.C.

 

Students posted personal photos around the main building, sharing their first day of school as a way of empathizing and contrasting with the experience of Indigenous children who were involuntarily taken from their homes and communities. Grade 12 Indigenous students, Aaron T. and Jasmine B., also delivered student remarks on the importance of the day.

 

At a special lunchtime service, Headmaster Lamont introduced Orange Shirt Day to a packed Chapel audience, with orange-clad students and faculty joining Indigenous community members from the Malahat Nation, the Cowichan Tribes, the Métis Nation, and the Cowichan Intercultural Society.

 
New Indigenous Art Donations

Later, Headmaster Lamont unveiled several new pieces of local Indigenous art that will now hang in the School’s entry foyer and halls. Some of the works were purchased at a fundraising auction held by the Malahat Nation, and donated or loaned to Shawnigan by generous School supporters.

 

“We have some existing Indigenous art in the School,” noted Mr. Lamont, “But it doesn’t tell the oral histories of the subjects, nor the artists.” New art, and existing paintings and carvings will now feature a small plaque describing the story and people behind the artworks.

 

The School will also “look for guidance from our Indigenous leaders in the community,” as to when, whether, and how to display existing Indigenous art at the school, said Mr. Lamont.

Note: In 2016, 2.1 million people, or 6.2% of the total Canadian population, reported Aboriginal or Indigenous ancestry.

Quotation source: http://www.orangeshirtday.org/