'This is not a sprint, this is a marathon': Saskatoon observes Truth and Reconciliation day with major Powwow

Saskatoon Tribal Council Chief Mark Arcand during the Every Child Matters powwow, held at SaskTel Centre on Monday, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. (Noah Rishaug / CTV News)

A sea of orange, and the sound of song and drums filled SaskTel Centre on Monday as Saskatoon marked Truth and Reconciliation day at the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC) “Every Child Matters” powwow.

The memory of residential schools in Canada remains vivid for many attendees, including Jenny Spyglass, whose life was altered by the system in the 1940s.

"I was just a baby when they took me away, but thank God I came back. My little brother Reggie passed away at a residential school because of starvation," remarked Spyglass.

The trauma inflected by those institutions has persisted for generations — and Canada’s not the only country with such a legacy.

"There's been a lot of similarities here to what had happened, and is still happening back home," said Moannu Kawana, a member of a delegation of Māori people from New Zealand who attended the event for a cultural exchange with Canada’s First Nations.

He says the fight for truth and reconciliation crosses borders.

The Māori delegation exchanged gifts with the Saskatoon Tribal Council, and demonstrated their culture through dance and song.

STC Chief Mark Arcand emphasized the ongoing nature of reconciliation, with still fewer than a quarter of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 calls to action completed.

"This is not a sprint, this is a marathon, and we need everyone to come together on a day like today to celebrate reconciliation," said Arcand.

The STC says that the road ahead is long, but that they believe the healing has begun.