A memorial service was held on July 1 at the old Crowfoot Residential School Site near Cluny in honour of children who perished during their time at residential schools.  

The ceremony started with prayers and speeches from Siksika Elders, many of whom had attended the school themselves.  

“This has been going on for a long time and now it's coming up. You know they talk about truth and reconciliation. Well, now it's the truth,” explained Chief of Siksika Nation, Ouray Crowfoot during the ceremony. “You can't sugarcoat it. It was genocide that what was going on in these schools. Cultural genocide, actual genocide. The ones that survived, packed all that bad stuff away and put it down inside. This is the truth part that's coming up.” 

Over 100 people gathered outside at 9 a.m. at the school. Those in attendance were both Indigenous and non-Indigenous which many of the elders said was a step in the right direction as the only way forward is together.  

"There's a lot of non-nation members here today and that really shows that we're going the right way. We're really are building bridges here and the more we understand as a community, as a nation, as a province, as a country, the more we can accept each other," he continued.

After the ceremony, a convoy was made to Old Sun Community College, another previous residential school. Once at the college, there were more prayers and speeches in honour of the children who have been found and are to be found.  

Siksika Nation is currently working with ground-penetrating sonar equipment to search the grounds of 4 different residential schools in the nation.  

“We don't know. We don't know what we're going to find here. But this memorial service, it's a really sacred service. It's not just about an orange shirt and a hashtag. These are real lives. These are real children here and we got to make this right.” 

The Indian Residential School Survivors and Family helpline can be reached at 1-866-925-4419. 

The Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available 24-hours a day for anyone experiencing pain or distress as a result of his or her residential school experience.