Walking Our Spirits Home

Two hundred fifteen
missing children cannot go
unnoticed forever

~ carliewired

I was out the door just after 7 AM. The temperature was 10 C so I put on an extra layer. I was going to Pioneer Park for my short walk. 

I left my quilted heart on the Rivers Trail near the Red Bridge. Walking back to my car I found several wildflowers in the park. 

9 AM was the start of the  three day walk in support of residential school survivors organized by the Adams Lake Indian Band east of Kamloops. This event has been titled "Walking Our Spirits Home" and comes on the heels of a shocking announcement in late May noting the discovery of 215 bodies of children discovered at the former residential school here in Kamloops. (See May 29) 

Today, the public was invited to join our First Nations to acknowledge this finding. The public gathering was a sea of orange and purple shirts. We were invited to form a circle. The elders spoke in turns. The drummers and singers contributed. Prayers were said. The group moved down to the side of the South Thompson River and then walked up 7th Avenue to Lorne Street and over the Red Bridge to the Pow Wow grounds for lunch and ceremonies. The walkers will continue on Shuswap Road for 25 km stopping at 6 PM.

On Saturday, the walk will begin again in the morning covering another 25 km until they reach the 8 Mile Rodeo grounds about 4:30 PM.

On Sunday, the walk commences in the morning and continues over the 10.5 km to the Adams Lake Conference Centre.