Canada helps Dakota Tipi First Nation undertake research and commemoration activities around five former residential school sites

_{To take care:}_{We recognize that this press release may contain information that is difficult for many, and that our efforts to honor survivors and families may serve as an unwelcome reminder to those who have suffered hardship through generations of government policies harmful to Indigenous peoples.}

_{A National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available to provide support to former residential school students who can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925- 4419.}

_{There is also the Hope for Wellness Helpline for Indigenous Peoples by phone at 1-855-242-3310 or by online chat through the helpline website at www.hopeforwellness.ca.}

DAKOTA TIPI FIRST NATION, MB, January 17, 2022 /CNW/ – Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

The location of unmarked graves on former residential school sites across Canada is a tragic reminder of the abuses suffered by Indigenous children in these institutions. The government of Canada works with survivors, Indigenous leaders, and affected families and communities in efforts to address historical wrongs and the lasting physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual damage associated with the legacy of residential schools.

The Dakota Tipi First Nation Residential School Survivors Project is establishing a survivor-led steering committee to begin developing a protocol to guide investigations at five former residential schools located in Portage la Prairie, sand bay, Assiniboia, Brandon and Fort Alexander in Manitoba, all attended by children from the Dakota Tipi First Nation. The Dakota Tipi First Nation will also undertake knowledge gathering and, under the leadership of Elders, survivors and their families, will explore remembrance and commemoration activities. This will be a community-led process to ensure Dakota Tipi First Nation can undertake this work in a manner that respects their Dakota protocols.

Today, boss Eric Pashe of the Dakota Tipi First Nation, and the Honorable Marc Miller, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, announced three-year funding from the Residential School Children Community Support Funding Program to support the First Nation’s plans to initiate research on the church and Hudson’s Bay Company records, Library and Archives Canada, St. Boniface Archives, National Center for Truth and Reconciliation school records, and the National Photo Library of air to assess the number of children who may have attended boarding schools and locate any unmarked burial sites.

Addressing the harms suffered by survivors, their families and communities is at the heart of reconciliation and is essential to renewing and rebuilding relationships with Indigenous peoples, governments and all Canadians.

Quote

“This is a historic time for the Dakota people. Now is the time to properly tell our story. It is time for us to honor the first child who went to residential school, Inkabah, who was a Dakota girl. He is time to gather around our Elders, our Survivors, our Children, our people. It is time to honor their memory, to acknowledge it and to do so in ceremony. Now is the time for us to engage on the right path and moving forward for all our people. Now is the time to speak the truth, however difficult it may be. Together, with the Crown, with the Government of Canada, together with all Canadians and all our people, we can and, in a good way, we will. »

Eric Pashe, Chief
Tipi Dakota First Nation

“Leaders of the Dakota Tipi First Nation have worked tirelessly to ensure the community is in a good position to begin the important and difficult work of finding archival material and undertaking field work to investigate five former residential schools in Manitoba. The government of Canada and all Canadians support the Residential School Survivor Project, which will be guided by a Survivor-led Steering Committee – to help heal survivors and the Dakota Tipi First Nation community. »

The Honorable Marc Miller
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations

Fast facts

Dakota Tipi First Nation, located 80 kilometers west of Winnipeg., has a population of 368.
At August 10, 2021, the government of Canada announced about $320 million additional support for Indigenous-led, survivor-centered, and culturally-informed initiatives and investments to help Indigenous communities respond to and heal from the ongoing effects of residential schools.
Nowadays, $116.8 million committed to helping First Nations, Inuit and Métis survivors, their families and communities locate and commemorate missing children who attended residential schools, by responding to the Commission’s Calls to Action 72-76 truth and reconciliation.
A National Indian Residential Schools Crisis Line is available to provide support to former residential school students who can access emotional counseling and crisis services by calling the 24-hour National Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419.
the Hope for Wellness Helpline is also available to all Indigenous people by phone at 1-855-242-3310 or through the online chat feature on their website.