Growing up off reserve, Azalliz Moulton says she didn't have much exposure to her Wolastoqi heritage.
But now as a teenager, she says she loves the feeling of being immersed in the culture and wants to pass a message of pride to younger children.
"[I want] them to see it's OK to be who we are now — like we are safe now. We don't have to hide," said Moulton, who is a student at Leo Hayes High School in Fredericton.
Leo Hayes High School student Azalliz Moulton, left, helps braid a dancer's hair. (Rachel Cave/CBC)
Moulton served as the emcee of a Wabanaki gathering held at the St. Mary's old reserve on the north side of the Wolastoq, where people marked National Day for Truth and Reconciliation with drumming, dancing and displays of art and crafts on Tuesday.
The event was hosted by Under One Sky, a non-profit organization that provides services to urban Indigenous families.
Moulton works with its Aboriginal Head Start program, which supports the early development of Indigenous children aged two to five.
"I sing songs with them and show them how to smudge and it's really heartwarming," she said.
Katie Lunney attended the gathering alongside supporters and staff from Gignoo Transition House in Fredericton, which helps First Nation women and children who are survivors of domestic violence.
Katie Lunney, an employee of Gignoo Transition House, says she feels proud to be Indigenous. (Rachel Cave/CBC)
She was expecting an emotional day as people reflect on how Indigenous children in Canada were forced to attend schools aimed at stripping away their culture and language, where many also suffered physical and sexual abuse.
"We're thinking about all those children who didn't come home and we also think about those who did come home forever changed," Lunney said.
Dancers of all ages performed at the gathering at St. Mary's old reserve. (Rachel Cave/CBC )
But, she said, it was uplifting to see so many people wearing orange shirts, ribbon skirts and regalia.
"Just celebrating the resiliency of our people, the fact that we're still here, we're still standing," she said.
Meanwhile, not far from the Petitcodiac River, Carol Scott described another gathering in Moncton as "a sea of orange."
Families gathered to honour National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in front of Moncton City Hall on Tuesday. (Victoria Walton/CBC)
She says Truth and Reconciliation has led her to examine how she can be a better ally.
"As a descendent of settlers, a descendent of colonizers, I have lots of blind spots," Scott said.
She said she was also encouraged to see so many newcomers in the crowd.
A three-year-old dancer shows off her ribbon skirt at the Wabanaki gathering in Fredericton. (Rachel Cave/CBC )
Jill Van Horne, who attended the Moncton event, said she wants to teach her two young children to respect Indigenous traditions.
"We are so fortunate to live on unceded lands and share them with the original owners," said Van Horne.
She said one of the dances brought tears to her eyes.
Ramona Milliea was also at the Moncton event on Tuesday. Originally from Treaty One lands in Manitoba, she moved to New Brunswick when she married her husband who is from Elsipogtog First Nation.
Jingle dancers, drummers perform outside Moncton city hall on National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Duration 2:05 A sea people wearing orange shirts gathered in downtown Moncton on Tuesday to honour residential school survivors and remember those who never made it home.
She said she came to the event to dance old-style jingle dress, because it creates positive energy and makes people feel better.
Milliea added that she has relatives who were forced to go to residential and day schools, so dancing in public brings her a lot of pride.
"To be able to practice our culture, and to be able to hear our songs and to be able to do our dances out in public, really does make the heart — it fills your heart."
[SRC] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/truth-reconcilation-day-pride-resilience-1.7647399
