How Yoga Teachers Can Support Truth and Reconciliation on Sept. 30
Sept. 30 is the National day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day, in Canada. It is a time to recognize the genocidal legacy of the residential school systems, remember the missing children who never came home, and honour the healing of survivors, their family, and loved ones.
This day of observance, often symbolized by wearing an orange shirt, can be frustrating due to its commercialized and surface-level nature that can have a traumatic impact. There is no excuse and it underscores, to me, how everyone is on a different part of their journey when it comes to truth and reconciliation.
In elementary school, I was quickly corrected in class by a friend when I referred to Indigenous people as Indian. For context, the conversation was a question and response situation, where I was answering a history question. My ignorance stemmed from not understanding the difference between modern, historical, and legal terms and using them interchangeably.
In public school, I was interested in history and because of that curiosity, I remember we were taught about residential schools and the sixties scoop. It may not have been in-depth, but it was in our high school textbooks. I also took an elective on BC First Nations taught by a teacher from Haida Gwaii that gave me a deeper understanding on how BC is home to the most diverse assembly of Indigenous peoples in Canada when it comes to culture and language.
Outside of public school and later on in life, I would be surprised, and a little doubtful, by folks in my age group when they shared they were not taught about Indigenous history. I was in for a rude awakening when I found out that there were people who actually denied or misrepresented the truth of what happened at residential schools.
What if my friend didn’t correct me, alerting me that there is political power behind the words we choose?
What if I didn’t see the high school elective?
Some people have not thought about truth and reconciliation. It doesn’t automatically make them bad people to write off. They may not have had the time for introspection and there is reason why we don’t make the time. People who have more privilege are not taught to question where power comes from, and at what or whose expense. That makes it even more imperative that we do this work. And we do it with hope and an open heart.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Between 1879 and 1997, more than 150,000 First Nations, Métis, and Inuit children attended residential schools. Residential schools were schools funded by the government and run by churches to convert and assimilate Indigenous youth into Christian and Canadian society.
TRC stands for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Active from 2008 to 2015, it was established to document the history and lasting impacts of the residential school system on Indigenous students and their families.
The TRC Commission was 1 of 5 components in the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement (IRSSA), the largest class action settlement in Canadian history to date, that recognized the damage inflicted on Indigenous peoples by residential schools and set up a multi-billion-dollar fund to help survivors in their recovery.
The TRC Commission spent 6 years traveling across Canada, hearing from more than 6,500 witnesses. They published a Final Report that summarized the violent colonial legacy of residential schools that have contributed to educational, social, financial, and health disparities between Indigenous peoples and the rest of Canada. Along with the final report, the TRC commission published 94 Calls to Action that are actionable policy recommendations to aid the healing process by acknowledging the history of residential schools (legacy one to 42) and creating systems to prevent these abuses from happening again (reconciliation 43 to 94).
Did you know that the national day of observance is a direct response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 94 Call to Actions?
Sept. 30 was initially called Orange Shirt Day because it was a grassroots campaign started by residential school survivor Phyllis Webstad. This day was chosen because it was the time of year when children were forcibly taken from their homes to go to residential schools. The orange shirt is in reference to Webstad’s own experiences, where at the age of six, she was stripped of her brand-new, favourite orange shirt on her first day of attending the St. Joseph Mission Residential School near Williams Lake, BC.
In June 2021, the Government of Canada passed a bill to make Sept. 30 a federal statutory day for Truth and Reconciliation. This was in a direct response to TRC’s Call to Action #80 that called upon them, in collaboration with Indigenous peoples, to establish a statutory holiday to “honour Survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process.”
How Yoga Teachers Can Show Up for Truth and Reconciliation
As a yoga teacher, I do not agree with the spiritually bypassing belief that talking about systems of oppression such as white supremacy, racism, colonialism, capitalism, sexism is divisive.
There are many perspectives on how teachers and spaces in health and wellness should act and function. One could say that spiritual spaces are meant to be a haven from the world, where we rest and disconnect from reality. Another argument could be that spiritual spaces reimagine what our reality can be, and should be deeply embedded in the politics of our times. I can’t find fault with either perspective, seeing wisdom and healing in both approaches, and there are likely more nuanced perspectives to be discussed.
It’s less about getting it right, having the most popular opinion, or judging others for being/doing wrong. I find myself reflecting on how we, in our lane, can continue the dialogue and create spaces that meet our evolving needs as well as ethical expectations as yoga seekers.
We try our best and don’t always get it right. Missing the mark, we refuse to give up. We hope to be self-aware when our impact falls short, and we choose to learn and do better. The work of truth and reconciliation is for all of us. This labour should not fall to the historically marginalized. As allies, we amplify their words and we know we also do our part to stand in solidarity.
As a yoga teacher, I will support and honour residential school survivors on Truth and Reconciliation (and how you can too) by:
1. Wearing an orange shirt or orange piece of clothing when I teach yoga
Get a shirt made by Indigenous artists and/or sold by Indigenous-run organizations. Look around you — there may be orange shirts offered in community spaces that you frequent. Perhaps an extracurricular sport or where you volunteer at may already have an Orange Shirt Day initiative that you can support. If you do not have funds to purchase a shirt, wear an orange piece of clothing.
2. Dedicating my yoga practice to Indigenous peoples of the land we’re on and their healing journey
For my closing, I often do 3 breaths. Sometimes, each breath is for us, someone in the room, and for the practice of yoga. Sometimes each breath is breathed for a line in a Sanskrit chant or a metta prayer. I will intentionally focus our collective energy to honour Indigenous folks. You can also do this in the opening. It all depends on your rhythm as a yoga teacher.
3. Reflecting on the yamas and niyamas in relation to truth and reconciliation. If called, share my personal reflections rooted in self-study and research
How can yamas like ahimsa/non-violence or niyamas like svadhyaya/self-study guide us when it comes to truth and reconciliation? These are some questions I have for myself. I am careful to be sensitive in making these connections and mindful of how I share and couch my learnings and stance, ready to cite my sources.
4. Raising awareness on my website, newsletter, and social media channels about Truth and Reconciliation by sharing educational and political posts and events
5. Talking with the yoga communities that I am a part of what action they are taking for this day
Many spaces already have set up initiatives that they have promoted on their community bulletin boards, and I am curious to learn more about them to see how I can provide support.
6. Continuing to educate myself on the 94 Calls to Action
There are watchdogs and trackers on the current progress for the calls to action that the federal government can take. I will familiarize myself with the calls to action by learning more about these policy recommendations and what is being done about them.
7. Taking political action
Provincial elections are happening in Canada and in BC, Oct. 19 is the final voting day for us to vote for our MLA riding. I will look for candidates that will advance the cause of reconciliation.
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Written By: Irene Lo
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