SASKATOON — In the lead-up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sept. 30), 205 orange banners with reconciliation messages are being installed on light poles across Saskatoon.
The banners, which were first unveiled in September 2022, are one way the city communicates it commitment to reconciliation, according to a press release. The intent is to display them annually each September-October.
The orange banners are displayed on both sides of the river, connecting the west and east sides of the city. This signifies the building of bridges throughout our community.
There are 10 different banners, reading as follows:
- More than 150,000 attended residential schools
- Many never returned home
- It isn’t just Indigenous history
- It is our shared history
- We are telling our stories
- Every Child Matters
- Over 160 years of pain
- But together we can heal
- Saskatoon Survivors Circle – ayacimoyok “We are telling our stories”
- Commitment to Reconciliation
The City’s 2023 Rock Your Roots Walk for Reconciliation on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will traverse a portion of the Orange Banner Project route. You can learn more about Rock Your Roots by connecting to the Facebook Event.
Whether participating in Rock Your Roots or not, Saskatoon residents are encouraged to take note of and reflect on the banners’ messages this fall, the press release states. The banners feature area residential school survivors and their descendants and serve as a reminder to all of us that truth and reconciliation is up to every individual in our community, states the city in the release.
The Orange Banner Project is an initiative of the City of Saskatoon and the Saskatoon Tribal Council. The 2023 installation was made possible with the support of Reconciliation Saskatoon and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon Indigenous Reconciliation Fund.
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