On Thursday and Friday, September 29th & 30th Sioux Valley Dakota Nation held two events in honor of National Truth & Reconciliation Day. Thursday, September 29th was a small local walk for our school children. The youth walked from our local school to our park and listened to speakers discuss the history of Residential School, as well and what the day was all about. The children heard from residential school survivor Eleanore Elk, Chief Jennifer Bone, Tricia Hayward, Director of SVDN Intergovernmental Relations & Implementation Department, and Unity Rider, Travis Mazawasicuna.
Friday, September 30th, SVDN held a small gathering at the Brandon Indian Residential School (BIRS) grounds to recognize survivors and discuss steps moving forward with the BIRS Unmarked Graves project. Upon conclusion of the presentations and discussions, SVDN proceeded to stage a protest at the entrance of Turtle Crossing Camp grounds, which has several unmarked graves which still need to be investigated. The protest concluded with an agreement to continue discussions and a research.
