June is National Indigenous History Month with Monday meant to be a celebration of the cultures and contributions of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people on National Indigenous Peoples Day,.   

A proclamation was made by Airdrie City Council to officially recognize the day, but this year, Indigenous Peoples Day has taken on a whole different meaning. 

The day is one where Canadians remember the tragedy, heartbreak and ongoing racism for Indigenous people.  It is that way with the recent discovery of the bodies of 319 Indigenous children buried in unmarked graves at the Kamloops and Brandon Residential Schools and the issues surrounding truth and reconciliation in Canada.

Vern Frank is a First Nations man who has made Airdrie his home for 13 years.  Frank is 62 years old and grew up on the Kainai Reserve near Cardston as a member of the Blood Tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy.

For six months in 1974, Frank attended a Catholic Residential School near his home and said, fortunately, his father pulled he and his brothers, who had been going to the school much longer, out of the school.  Frank said while he experienced some abuse, he heard many more stories from his brothers. 

He's now become a member of the Circle for Indigenous Relations, Airdrie and area.  The group is all about bringing Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples together in peace and friendship, to build relationships, learn the truth, increase awareness and work towards genuine reconciliation in our area.

Frank said getting the truth out is one of his goals and part of the truth is letting Canadians and people in the Airdrie know the truth around the Residential School System.

"People need to know where we came from and what Residential Schools did to the people.  They just destroyed our way of life.  I like to give an example of someone from Airdrie who is all of a sudden thrown into the Amazon and told 'you're going to do this, and you're going to do that, and you have no choice."

Frank believes the government was trying to take away the Indigenous way of life and few people understand.

"The government tried to get rid of us basically and a lot of people don't understand what that did to our culture,  It destroyed us.  We were a very proud people.  We had our territories and we understood with each other where you could be and where you couldn't be.  Our home life was completely different and boom, that was completely taken away from us and we were thrown into a brand new society and told 'you can't do that anymore.  You're going to be a white-man now'."

Frank said now that the truth about residential schools and how First Nations people were treated is becoming better known, it's up to the government and other Canadians to really listen, and do something more than saying 'we're sorry for how you were treated.'

"There is lots of talk about reconciliation and having our voices heard, but we keep getting told, 'yes, yes, we hear you,' but it doesn't really go anywhere, if you look at the history, and it's not very good."

He wants all to understand that what First Nations people are looking for and hoping for is a chance to be themselves, just like the rest of society.  

"That people understand who we are and just give us the opportunity to be Canadians and human beings and not have to face all the racism that I've experienced over the years and a lot of my First Nations brothers and sisters have also."

Frank said in his over 10 years living in Airdrie, he has unfortunately seen some of the same racism he experienced before.  

"I've lived in Airdrie for 13 years now and I've experienced it myself, name-calling and physical violence.  I moved here to get away from that and I was very disappointed.  I have to give Airdrie credit though, I really do.  There are a lot of good people here.  People who care and understand, or want to understand."

Frank believes that desire to know the truth is where reconciliation starts.  He joined the Circle for Indigenous Relations in Airdrie to get that truth out to others. 

on Monday night Frank and other members of the Circle for Indigenous Relations will host an online event called "Sharing Stories in Treaty 7 Territory."  The event will share stories in friendship and the original spirit and intent of Treaty 7.  It goes tonight from 7:00 to 8:30 pm via Zoom.  You can read more and register HERE.

Airdrie is hosting a second National Indigenous Peoples Day event Monday night.   Jaadaas Jagwaa, a First Nations woman, has organized the "Every Child Matters Vigil" that goes from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in Nose Creek Park.  Jagwaa is asking people to come out to stand in solidarity with First Nations. Inuit and Metis people to honour the children who have been lost to Canada's Residential School System.

The vigil will feature a live performance by Pearl White Quill and Curtis Young.  Everyone is encouraged to wear orange and bring a feather to leave on stage in honour of the children.  COVID-19 protocols will be in effect.

Frank said speaking the truth about the racism experienced by Indigenous people in Canada and about their mistreatment in Residential Schools is necessary if real truth and reconciliation is to take place.

"The Circle for Indigenous Relations is really pushing the schools to teach the real history of Canada and we want people to know that this happened.  I've spoken to so many people who said, 'We didn't even know,'. People in their 50's and 60's say, 'we didn't even know these things existed,' and they didn't even know the conditions.  It has to get out there and I think when it does people will realize, we are not savages. We are people like everybody else and we live like everybody else."

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