Chris and I, along with hundreds of people who gathered near East Beach, White Rock, British Columbia, to join with the Semiahmoo Nation. We gathered near Grand Chief Bernard Memorial Plaza and were welcomed by Chief Harley Chappell, followed by a welcome song by some of the young men, and a short talk by Terry Teegee, Regional Chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations.
Then the children and the Elders led us all along the boardwalk near the beach to the Semiahmoo land. It was a sea of orange as most people were wearing orange T-shirts with designs by First Nations artists.
Caption: Chief Chappell (Left) Councillor Joanne Charles centre, Terry Teegee, Regional Chief of BC Assembly of First Nations. Children in the front were some of the dancers.
We all gathered to watch the children tell, through dance, how their people came to live in this area. Steven Point a former Lt. Governor for B.C., (see Header photo), gave an inspiring talk and ended by talking about reconciliation – emphasizing that “we need to have it first in our hearts before we can build it with others”. The Elders who had survived Residential School were honoured and presented with bouquets.
Then at the very end of the event one of the Elders went to the microphone and thanked us all for coming. She said she “couldn't forget all that had happened to her but seeing us all here today is giving her strength to keep on her journey”. It was so humbling to be thanked by a survivor of the residential school system.
Anne Hartnell
Chris and Anne Hartnell have been engaged with the work of Initiatives of Change for many years and before retirement, were Field Workers in the UK before coming to Canada more than 40 years ago. They now live in Surrey, B.C.