Events planned for Truth and Reconciliation Day in N.W.T., including four-day event in Fort Good Hope

Monday, Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, held to honour the children who never returned from residential schools and the survivors.

There are events happening across the Northwest Territories to mark the day, including orange shirt walks, barbecues, and ceremonies.

For some, the day is less of a celebration, and more of an opportunity for gathering and healing.

Here are a few if the events expected to be held across the territory:

Fort Good Hope 

In Fort Good Hope, there will be four days of events organized by the wellness team, starting Friday.

Dani Masuzumi, Fort Good Hope's community wellness co-ordinator, said they're calling it a "truth and reconciliation weekend."

Friday will start off with a "letting go" burning ceremony followed by a sharing circle. Later in the day, there will be a community walk, feast and drum dance.

On Saturday, there will be a family fun night, Masuzumi said. And on Sunday, there will be a community brunch and a walk to the cliffs in the afternoon hosted by the wellness team.

Then on Monday, there will be a potluck at the field and a community mural painting for residential school survivors.

The day will end with a candlelight vigil.

Masuzumi said the organizers had a meeting on how to hold the events, so not to trigger people and to make it more inclusive for everyone.

"We are still here today. Our ancestors and our community have survived a cultural genocide," she said. "We still have culture. We're still very strong."

"It's time to recognize that, the resiliency and the resistance and the survival." she added.

A monument in Fort Providence, N.W.T., memorializes around 300 people buried there, including 161 children who were brought to the school from up and down the Mackenzie River Valley. (Kate Kyle/CBC)

Masuzumi said she sees truth and reconciliation as "a very colonial term."

To her, the day means "honouring what has happened and recognizing the pressure, the trauma, the pain," she said. "But also creating meaning for that."

A community counsellor will also be on site during the gathering.

Fort Providence 

An orange shirt walk will be held starting at the arena at noon, followed by a barbecue at Arbour at 1:30.

At 3 p.m., prizes will be given out for an Every Child Matters T-Shirt colouring contest.

More information can be found here.

Hay River

Events will be held at the Soaring Eagle Hall from noon until 5 p.m. on Monday.

They include crafting, food and beverages.

More information can be found here.

Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀ and Wekweètì

In the capital, the Dene Nation is organizing events at Sombaa K'e park, including a barbecue starting at noon.

In Behchokǫ̀ a community barbecue will start at noon at the wellness office.

In Wekweètì, there will be a community feast at the youth centre starting at 5 p.m.

Fort Smith

An event organized by Northern Life Museum will include a march through town, ending at the museum itself.

The march will be followed by a documentary screening and a stew and bannock feast.

Ulukhaktok 

Gayle Elias, the recreation co-ordinator in Ulukhaktok, said there will be a walk around the community and kids will have orange shirts and signs. There will also be stew and bannock, speeches from leaders and any survivors who want to talk about their experience

"Our community is very healing when everybody gets together and shares and eats," Elias said.

There will also be drum dancing.

'The drum dancing is pretty good on the heart and mind," Elias said.

Elias said it's less of a celebration and more of a chance to come together and heal.

"It just means helping our community heal and be OK," she said.